TenRose 30 Day OTP Challenge
by Devoglio S
Summary: So, this is my first writing challenge. There will be angst, humor, fluff, and hurt/comfort, and probably a few other genres, though I will try to keep the angst to a minimum. Rated T because I'm terrified of underrating. Will be updated as close to daily as I can, but I can't promise. With cameos from Capt. Jack, Donna, Jackie, and others. COMPLETE. SEQUEL NOW POSTED.
1. Holding Hands

AN: Hullo, all! So, I've decided to do the 30-Day OTP challenge (obviously). However, I probably won't be posting daily, and will instead be posting chapters as I finish the prompts. I suppose this could fit anywhere in series 2 for the time being, but it would probably be categorized as AU. I hope that anyone that reads enjoys. Feedback (positive or negative) is always appreciated. If anyone has any prompts for this challenge or a different story, feel free to put it in a review or PM me.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Doctor Who or any of it's characters. I _did_ come up with the idea for Solarus-15, but I don't own Helios.

* * *

10ROSE 30-DAY OTP CHALLENGE

DAY 1- Holding Hands

THEY held hands. Often. Quite often, if he was being honest. But, it wasn't as if it meant anything. Not at all. Nope. Anyway. But, how often is "often"? They only held hands when they were running from aliens (could he really let her get separated? Of course not! She'd get left behind, he'd be alone, and she'd be alien food. Unacceptable). And, they also held hands while they were investigating (again, if he let go, she'd wander off. Again). And, well, they may hold hands- occasionally- when walking around on a different planet (it made sure the other blokes knew she was taken- not that she was. But they don't need to get any ideas. Especially in the 51ST century). And when they were larking about in the TARDIS. Or when they were- ahem. You get the point. So, maybe it was often. So what? It didn't mean anything.

Well. That's _almost _the truth. And by that, I of course mean that it's a total lie. It's just… He shouldn't feel this way. He knows that. But, it's really not even his fault. It's hers. _She's _the one with the megawatt smile that melts both his hearts. _She's _the one with brown eyes so big and beautiful that he gets lost in them half the time. _She's_ the one with a laugh so enchanting that he can do nothing but grin like an idiot when he hears it. And, last but certainly not least, _she's_ the one with a heart so big that she pitied a _DALEK_! So, it really is all her fault. Nothing he can do about it. Nopers. He has no choice but to embrace it, really. But if he actually told her any of this, well. He's literally 900 years older than her. She'd think he's just a perverted, creepy old man. And she's a human. It's already going to break him when he loses her as a friend, but losing her as more than that… It would crush him completely.

So, he holds her hand, and never does anything else.

Well. Define "nothing else".

Because, sure, sometimes he _might_ run his thumb over her hand. And then he _might _smile down at her like she's the only thing he could ever need in his life. And then she _might_ smile back at him shyly before tucking her head into the curve where his neck meets his shoulders. And it was always wonderful. Ahem. Assuming, of course that all of that actually happens. Anyway. Where was I? Oh, yes. It didn't mean anything. It meant everything.

With a sigh, the Doctor snapped out of his musings to look at the beautiful human in question, who was (_of stinking course_) holding his hand as they strolled around the warm and triple-sunny Solarus-15. She was looking radiant (when was she not?) and he had trouble taking his eyes off of her. So he stopped trying to. It wasn't as if looking was wrong. Nope. Perfectly normal to stare at your _just friend_ like they were the best thing in the entire universe. Totally normal. Not at all romantic. Psh. Never. Ahem, _anyway. _Wait. She was talking to him. _What was she saying? Oh dear, was it a question? Pay attention! She'll know you were staring! Abort mission! What do I do?!_

"…Don't you agree, Doctor?"

He opened his mouth once. And closed it. And again. Finally he was able to stutter out, "Um, well, I- you see- wait- uh what was the question?" while using his free hand (the one not busy holding his precious Rose) to awkwardly rub his neck.

Rose looked, in a word, exasperated. "Seriously, Doctor? I've been chatterin' on for the past ten minutes. When did you stop listening?"

"Uh, oh about… ten minutes ago?" She probably would have throttled him if it hadn't been for the guilty, Oops-now-I-blew-it look on his face.

"Really? Ugh. Fat lot of good you are. I could just as well be talkin' to an empty skull."

The Doctor's face went from sheepish to indignant faster than a Raxacoricofallipitoran can change into a skin suit. "Oi! I do not appreciate being insult with thinly veiled _Sherlock_ references. It's not my fault, either. I was… thinking."

"Oh?," she asked, raised a skeptical eyebrow and smirking. "What were you thinking about, then?"

_You._ "Some parts I need to buy for the TARDIS. The temporal flux capacitor can only be fixed so many times with the sonic screwdriver before it needs a replacement. And don't even get me started on the poor old girl's primary translation matrix. That's been in bad shape since, ooh, at least since my last regeneration. Did I tell you about the time I wrote a long, heartfelt in Gallifreyan- which the TARDIS is most certainly _not_ supposed to translate- and some how Jack was able to read all of it in English? Gah, was that embarrassing. Thankfully he never talked about it. That would have been… well, bad. Speaking of, have I taken you to Barcelona yet? It kind of triggered that because, seeing as how they have no noses, the dogs there are, naturally, bad at smelling. Totally rubbish. They have to depend on taste for everything. It makes their introductions to each other pretty awkward, at least to any who look. But the Barcelonans have gotten pretty used to it. It's a really beautiful planet, though. I think you'd like it. We'll have to go there next. Of course, it'd just be plain rude to leave here without seeing the Festival of Helios. Wouldn't want to go to _another _alien jail, would we Rose?" Silence. "Uh, Rose?"

She blinked a couple times, looking for all the world (and Solarus-15 was substantially larger than Earth) like someone waking up from a nap. "I'm sorry, were you saying something?"

His face changed once again, this time becoming rather crestfallen. "Well, yes, actually. When did you stop listening?"

"I'm not quite sure. Somewhere between "temporal flux capacitor" and "primary translation something-or-other." Her smile turned teasing again, complete with tongue sticking out from between her teeth.

And if it took him a bit longer to answer, it was in no way, absolutely not, not even a little because he was distracted by said tongue. Nope. Anyway. "But Rooose," _ugh, since when did I sound like a whining child?_ "That means you missed almost everything I said! Everything about the TARDIS, and Barcelona, and even the Festival! Why were you ignoring me?"

"Doctor, I'm sorry, but I thought you were just starting another techno-babble rant. And I never have any idea what you're talking about, which makes me feel stupid, so I just tune it out. And you're one to talk! You're the one that not twenty minutes ago completely ignored everything I was trying to tell you."

The Doctor's face reverted to that of a kicked puppy, and just as she was about to take it back, "You're not stupid, Rose," he said, looking offended at the very thought.

"Doctor, you don't have to try to make me feel better. I know I'm just a dumb, human shop girl that doesn't even have A-Levels. I know I'm _not_ smart, and you lying ain't gonna make me feel better. So just come off it." The last part was said with more bitterness than she intended, and she opened her mouth to apologize, when she felt herself lifted into the air as the Doctor picked her up in a huge hug.

"I find it very rude that you keep calling my best friend stupid, Rose Tyler. Please don't do that anymore. 'Kay?"

Rose felt tears well up in her eyes at the sincere tone of his voice, and they threatened to spill over when he pressed a tender kiss to the top of her head.

"Well, since you asked so nicely, I guess I might be able to," she said, smiling, as he twisted her a few times before gently setting her back down on the lavender-colored ground.

All traces of sorrow disappeared from his face as he beamed at her magnificently. "Brilliant! Wonderful! Molto bene! Fantastic! No, wait, I still don't have the teeth for that. But you know what I mean! Ah, that's just… great." With a contented sigh, he took her had again, and they set of towards the Festival grounds, hand-in-hand, both smiling like fools, and the Doctor thought it was perfect. Until she tucked her head into his shoulder. Then he was sure.


	2. Cuddling Somewhere

AN: Howdy! This is the longest story I've written so far, and it's my first time writing about anyone kissing, and it's as mature as any of my stories will get in that regard.

DISCLAIMER: I didn't own Doctor Who when I wrote my last chapter, and I don't own it now. If I did, Ten and Rose would have had little hybrid babies and Donna would have been their aunt. But that didn't happen. *le sigh*

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10ROSE 30-DAY OTP CHALLENGE

DAY 2- Cuddling Somewhere

FIRST of all, he was not, by any means, in any way, _cuddling._ He was just hugging her. Even though they were both sitting. Rather close to each other. And she was asleep, with him acting as her pillow. On the TARDIS library's couch. In the dark. But they were _not cuddling._ Nope. Definitely not. Right. So, now that that's sorted.

Who was he kidding. It was cuddling. And it was marvelous.

Her body fit perfectly against his, her body was warmer than his so she acted as a heater, her even breaths were extremely soothing, and she smelled _so good._ It was like warm earth, her lightly vanilla-scented body wash, and _Claire-de-la-Lune _perfume. He buried his face into her hair and took a deep breath, reveling in the fact that he could. She always brought a smile to his face, but in moments such as these he liked to bask in her even more. She was beautiful, even in her sleep. When she was awake, she was strong and brave and caring, but even in sleep her strength shone through, along with serenity and- _skrooooOOONK- _and snoring. Loud, horrific, eardrum-shattering snoring. But that's okay. Because even with the- _ssskroooOOOONNK-_ ahem, even with the snoring, he still lov-.

Oh. He _loved_ her.

Well. That honestly explains quite a bit. Like the fact that he had absolutely no problem with her drooling all over his shoulder. And cutting off the circulation in most of the left side of his body, even with his two hearts. And that he thought she looked beautiful even with the- _SSSKROOONNNNKK- _yeah, that.

Well. Now what?

He couldn't tell her. She'd reject him. And laugh at him. Or worse, ask to go home. Then he'd be stuck for the rest of his insanely long life, alone, knowing that she was somewhere else. Living, growing, changing. Possibly even getting married. But that was wrong, because the only person she should _ever_ marry was him, and- Woah. Where did _that_ come from?

Well. That happened.

Ahem. Anyway. The simple fact is, he could never- _sssSSKRRROOOONNNK_\- ahem, he could never tell her. He could ruin their friendship. He could lose her respect and trust.

He could lose her.

That was 100% unacceptable, so it would never happen. Ever. Good. So, now that it has been firmly established that- _ssskroooOONK _\- that he will never, ever, in a million regenerations say anything, what _will_ he do? Rassilon, this was going to be difficult. He noticed in passing that her breathing was growing a bit shallower. _Hm. She must be having a dream. I hope it's about me-_ Nope. Stop right there, brain. No use thinking like that. Because he can never tell her. Ever. Nope. So it's pointless to even think about what it would be like if they were together. If he could kiss her every morning and tell her she was beautiful. If he could say "I do" in a church, him in his tuxedo-of-doom, and her in a beautiful white dress, her mother crying in the front row. Her stomach, filled to bursting with their unborn child. The joy on both of their faces as they hold their newborn baby- _SSSSSKKKOOONNNKKK _\- right. Anyway, that was stupid. Time Lords don't daydream. Or fall in love with humans. Nope.

Anyway. Her breathing became slightly frantic and she began to mumble a bit, and he was able to note with his superior Time Lord senses that her heartbeat had increased.

"D-Doctor…"

His eyes grew to the size of saucers. _She was actually dreaming of me…?_ He couldn't help but start to hope that her dreams were similar to the thoughts he had just tried to ignore. Because, really, if she felt the same way that he did, what was the harm of telling her? It could be brilliant. They'd be happy- he'd do everything in his power to make her incredibly happy. Anything for her. His spirits soared as he thought over the possibilities until he heard her speak again.

"Doctor, please don't let 'em kill me…"

* * *

SHE looked around to see the Powell Estates, filthy as ever, but she was happy knowing she was home. She looked up the incredibly unstable-looking staircase and set her sights on her mum's flat. Taking the stairs two at once, she was able to reach the flat in record time.

Not bothering to knock, she fished the spare key out of her pocket and went into the flat she'd always call home.

"Mum! Surprise, I'm home!" The silence in the flat was deafening and strange. Her mum always at least had the telly or radio or something on. But there wasn't a sound.

She started walking through the flat, calling fore her mother. Finally, she got to the last room- hers. She quietly and slowly pushed the door open. She immediately found herself looking at a familiar face- but it was not her mother.

"YOU. WILL. BE. EXTEEERMINATED!"

She was staring straight into the face of Dalek.

* * *

HE looked down at her face, and was terrified to see it covered in tears and distorted in horror. He began trying to wake her up, saying that he was here, he would protect her, it's just a dream. He brushed the hair from her face as it began to become matted and pressed soft kisses to her forehead, pleading with her to wake up. She only got worse.

* * *

THE Dalek stared at her as she shook with fear. Though it didn't have a proper face, she could have sworn that it was smirking.

"YOUR. DOC. TOR. HAS. LEFT. YOU. YOU. ARE. ALONE. YOU. WILL. BE. EXTERMINATED!"

She felt herself beginning to cry, but she had to stay strong. "No, you're wrong. The Doctor's gonna come, he's gonna kill you, and he's gonna save me."

"THE. DOC. TOR. HAS. BEEN. EXTEEERMINATED!"

Her face turned white as a sheet as she looked into the bright blue eyepiece of the gold, tarnished Dalek.

"No, you can't have killed him. You've been trying for years. He's alive, and he's coming."

"THE. DOC. TOR. HAS. BEEN. EXTERMINATED. THE. FEMALE. WILL. CON. CEED." And with that, it moved to the side so that Rose could plainly see the tall, thin man that lay unmoving on her bed, dressed in a brown pinstriped suit and white Converse.

"D-Doctor…"

The tears began to fall in earnest as she saw the corpse of the man she loved. She couldn't believe it. It wasn't possible. _He's okay. He has to be okay. I need him. I love him. Please, please I love him…_

She began shaking his shoulders, sobbing and screaming. "Doctor, no! Get up! G-Get up, please! No! DOCTOR! PLEASE DON'T LET 'EM KILL ME!"

Looking back at her room, she saw thousands of Daleks surrounding her as she tried to rouse the obviously deceased Time Lord.

And all at once, they began to shriek.

"EXTERMINATE. EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINAAAAATE!"

As they began to grow closer, trapping her from all sides, she let out one last scream: "No! No! DOCTOR!"

* * *

"…No! No! DOCTOR!" With this final cry, Rose awoke, thrashing and terrified. She felt strong arms wrap around her, whispering calming promises of safety as she continued to sob.

The Doctor began to rock back and forth. "Sh, sh, sweetheart. It's okay. I've got you. Shh, it was just a nightmare. You're okay. I've got you…" They continued about five minutes (4 minutes and 47.93 seconds) until Rose's sobs settled into quiet crying and the occasional hiccup, with the Doctor continuing to stroke her hair and rock her back and forth.

After she was calm- for the most part, at least- the Doctor pushed her back a bit so he could look at her. Her face was red and blotchy, her makeup had run all down her face, and she had a rather impressive stream of mucus trailing from her nose. And he still thought she was beautiful. He reached into one of his bigger-on-the-inside pockets and retrieved a full box of Kleenex for her.

She gave him a small smile of thanks before setting to work on cleaning herself up. Once that was sorted, she looked up at the Doctor and let out a shaky breath. She attempted to smile, and although it was wobbly, it warmed his hearts to see it.

"Hello," she said, her voice hoarse and soft from shouting and sobbing.

"Hello," he replied with a gentle smile of his own, before gathering her back into his arms and reclining them back down against the sofa. She held him even tighter than before and breathed him in, as if she hadn't seen him in the longest time. "Do you want to talk about it?" he asked, his voice a gentle hum.

She only shook her head and burrowed further into his chest. She made a kind of noise at the back of her throat that sounded like "uhn uhn" and left it at that.

"Hm. Do you want me to, erm, look at it?"

She looked up at him, and after gazing into his eyes for a moment, she gave a small nod. They both sat up and face each other, and the Doctor put his hands on either side of her face. He saw images flash in his mind, from hers: a Dalek promising death, his own lifeless body on Rose's bed, her childhood home, and the immense army of Daleks surrounding them. He felt her relief at seeing home again, her terror at seeing the Dalek, her love for him that carried her through- wait. No. That's not… she can't…

He snapped back from her as if burned, and leaped up from the couch. And with one look at her face, he could tell that she knew why. She had a look of sad resignation on her face, as if she knew that that would be his reaction.

"I'm sorry, Doctor. If you could please just ignore that last bit, it's fine. I promise I won't start acting all weird around you, I really do. Just… please don't send me home." She looked up at him with sadness and a bit of desperation, as if being sent home scared her more that the nightmare.

He continued to dumbly stare down at her in shock for about a minute (1 minute and 4.13 seconds) before finally being able to stutter, "H-How long have you, erm, lo- felt that way? A-About me?" He had a look of utter confusion on his face, but he didn't care. Inside, his hearts were soaring, and he was half-convinced that he had fallen asleep, too. _This can't be real. But I just saw it. She loves me! She loves me?! SHE LOVES ME! WOO-HOO!_

Rose, however, looked extremely uncomfortable, wondering why he was making this worse for her. _Why is he doin' this? It's not like he feels the same, so why is he drawin' it out?_ "Um, I dunno exactly. At least by the time we met the Slitheen, I guess."

His confusion only grew at this answer, and he sat back down, before dumbly pointing out, "But that was before I regenerated. When I still had big ears and a bad temper. I was all leather-coat-clad and Northern. You loved me back then? Really?" His voice grew more incredulous as he spoke, and at the end even his face was scrunched up in a look of disbelief. But after a moment, a giddy smile took its place.

Rose continued to get more annoyed, not at all aware of how the Doctor really felt in return. She didn't see his smile for what it truly was; instead she thought he was just laughing at her. "Yeah, I did. And I'm sorry you find it so funny. I get it; you think I'm just a dumb human that can't keep her emotions in check. And I'm really sorry, Doctor, but I do love you. And if you can't accept that then-" She was immediately silenced when the Time Lord in question's lips descended on hers in their first real kiss since ancient Rome.

Just as she snapped out of her shock, he pulled away with a huge grin on his face, and said, "I thought you promised to stop calling my best friend dumb." She merely rolled her eyes before pulling him by the suit lapels for another kiss.

They parted for air soon, and Rose let out a mighty yawn. The Doctor merely chuckled at his pink and yellow girl before helping her off the sofa to escort her to her room. After a final goodnight kiss, they parted ways. Rose had nothing but good dreams for the rest of the night.

* * *

AN: Okay, I'm sorry for doing this, but would someone _please_ tell me how the kissing read? I'm super uncomfortable with it but I thought the story needed it and if anyone could let me know how I could improve I'd be eternally grateful. I should be able to post chapter three sometime tomorrow, and I'm working on another story as well. Thanks to anyone who read.


	3. Watching a Movie

AN: Okay, so this is officially the most I've ever written in two days. I'm really excited about this challenge, and I've already started planning some of the other chapter. Yay! Anyway, thank you so much to those who have read, followed, favorited, and/or reviewed. I really appreciate the feedback.

DISCLAIMER: Wait... let me see here... nope. I own a grand total of zero "Doctor Who"s. I also own neither "Lilo and Stitch" nor "Lion King". I did come up with my own idea for the layout of the media room. And the 3DFCHVDC.

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10ROSE 30-DAY OTP CHALLENGE

DAY 3- Watching a Movie

"NO. I don't care what you say, Rose, no. Never. Not in a million billion _gazillion_ years. Nope." The Doctor began to- very maturely- run around the TARDIS console yelling "_lalala I can't hear yooooooou!"_ with his fingers in his ears, while Rose tried to get him to stop.

"Doctor, come on! It'll only take an hour or two. Pleeeeease? For me?" With this last plea she adopted her as yet most successful pouty please-let-me-get-what-I-want face.

From the other side of the console, his resolve faltered for a moment, and it showed on his face. It returned in a flash, and he became just as unyielding and immature as before. "Nope. NEVER. I said no, and by Rassilon, Rose, I meant it!" For good measure, he stuck his tongue out at her.

"Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease?" she asked, her lip pouting even more, and adding a ridiculous amount of fluttering eyelashes.

The Doctor finally lowered his hands from over his ears, and let out an exasperated sigh. "Rose, I'm sorry, I really am. But I _hate_ that movie. I've hated it for years. It makes me sad, and I'd honestly rather watch the entire Twilight Saga twice. Ew, maybe I wouldn't go that far, but still. I don't want to watch it. Ever. Come on, Rose. The media room has so many wonderful films we could watch instead. Like… ooh! Like _"Lion King"_! All six movies!" His face was overtaken by a grin at the prospect of seeing his favorite movie(s).

At this, Rose gave out a sigh of her own, rolled her eyes and replied, "Yeah, but we already watched those last- wait, _six?_ There are only three, Doctor."

"Nope. There's a reboot trilogy in 2094 for the centennial anniversary." He nodded sagely, as though he had just imparted a great and powerful secret unto his companion.

"Riiight, anyway, we just saw the three _I _knew about a week ago! And you promised that it would be my turn to pick, and I want to watch _"Lilo and Stitch"._" And with that, she crossed her arms and fixed him with a glare that would have scared her own mum.

After becoming momentarily terrified (and don't you dare tell anyone about _that_), he was able to compose himself. _Alright, creative brain, _he thought. _Time to come up with an excuse. Rambling, don't fail me now! _ "Rose, sweetheart, the scientific inaccuracies in that movie are almost too numerous to count. Not for me, of course, as the answer is actually 732. Anyway, not only is it _grossly_ inaccurate, it's incredibly degrading for aliens. And, in case you hadn't noticed, I _am_ an alien, so I find the degradation extremely offensive. I mean, Pleakley and Jumba are portrayed as utter morons! Though, I suppose the animators didn't have any viable references, seeing as how they completely fabricated all of the alien races. I mean, imagine: _"Lilo and Stitch" _with Raxacoricofalapatorians instead of whatever they intended that "Captain Gantu" to be! It'd be utterly brilliant! And it would be _much_ more believable, and reduce the number of inaccuracies to 731. Wouldn't that just be grand. Oh, and that reminds me-"

"Doctor!"

The Doctor hesitantly looked up and was met with the face of a very miffed Rose, who had some point in he ramblings migrated over to his side of the console. "Oh, hello."

"Hi. Now, Doctor, please either tell me the real reason that you don't want us to watch _"Lilo and Stitch" _or come with me to the media room so we can start it up. You said earlier that it made you sad, right? Tell me why and we can watch all six _"Lion King" _movies, k?"

He was momentarily taken aback by Rose's straightforwardness, but soon recovered. He opened his mouth as if to tell all, but thought better of it and closed his mouth before he even let out a breath. He looked at her briefly before focusing instead on the floor of the TARDIS, which had suddenly become the most interesting thing to stare at.

Rose waited for a whopping 30 seconds before impatiently tugging the Doctor by his jacket sleeve, down two corridors, before following the directions to the media room that had only taken her 3 months to remember: 3 lefts, a right, 2 more lefts, down 5 corridors, 2 more rights, and it's the first door on the right. Opening the door, she saw the giant TV screen (think movie theater, but a bit bigger), several bookshelves full of TV shows and movies on DVDs and a few alien/futuristic media storage holders, and every video player under the suns. VCR, DVD, Blu-Ray, even the 51ST century's 3D, full-color holographic video data chips, or 3DFCHVDC for short. In front of the aforementioned giant screen was a corduroy-textured, TARDIS blue couch, which sat up to 4 people who were sitting, or Rose and the Doctor in cuddle mode. It was just soft enough to be cozy, but firm enough that you didn't get eaten by the cushions. A nearby closet held pillows and blankets in every shape, size, style, and color, as well as popcorn for the popper in the corner of the room.

Rose set to work popping popcorn and getting out her and the Doctor's favored pillows and blankets as the Time Lord ever-so-helpfully sat on the couch and stared straight ahead. After setting the bowl of fresh popcorn next to the temporarily mute Doctor, she put the VCR in its player (it was still her favorite media type, even with the new technology) and grabbed the remote before cuddling up next to the Doctor. He momentarily snapped out of his stupor long enough to wrap his arm around her, pull her closer, and press a kiss to the top of her head.

They smiled at each other briefly before returning their attention to the screen and snuggling further into the plush couch. Since it was a VCR, Rose was able to fast-forward all of the commercials and in less than a minute, an animated "Galactic Federation Headquarter", filled with all sorts of different (made up) alien life was seen on screen. _"Lilo and Stitch" _had begun.

* * *

_"…I'm just a hunka, hunka burnin' love…"_

THE credits rolled, and Rose yawned, exhausted for no apparent reason. Somehow during the course of the movie they had rearranged themselves so that her head was in the Doctor's lap, and he had been running his fingers through her hair for at least an hour. She stretched a bit, and looked up at her living pillow. She gave a small gasp, however, when she saw the faint streams of tears running down his face. He looked down at her, gave her a bittersweet smile, and stared at her face intently, as though he were trying to memorize it. "Hello," he said softly, as one of the tears fell from his face and onto her nose.

"Hello," she replied, if a bit worriedly, and sat up. She brushed the tears from his cheeks, until he stopped her by putting his hands on top of hers so that they both rested on the sides of his face. He chuckled humorlessly for a moment. "Told you this movie made me sad."

This only made her more worried as she brushed his hands off and continued to fuss over him. "Doctor, please just tell me why this makes you so sad. I mean, you didn't even do this when Mufasa died…"

He let out an honest laugh at that, and once again stilled her hands. "It's really no big deal. Please, let's just leave it and move on." One look from Rose (and by "look", "glare" is 100% intended), however, told him that that would not at all be how things went. SO, he shot her a look of defeat, took a deep breath, and began. "Well, if you_ must_ know-"

"And I must," she said in a very matter-of-fact manner.

He blinked in surprise before continuing, "Right. Um, where was I…? Oh! Ahem, if you must know- and I am aware you do- _"Lilo and Stitch"_ makes me sad because… well, I don't really think that's how my story's going to end. I mean, there he is: an alien in a strange world, the only one like him, and he's lost. He's been awful, and he's hurt people. All he knows is destruction. And then, completely and brilliantly by chance, he finds a human girl that sees past that. She begins to change him for the better. She helps him, encourages him, and accepts him for who and what he is. And, well, I rather sympathize with that." He smiles another heartbreaking smile, and she can see new tears welling in his eyes. Only when he reaches over and brushes off her cheeks did she realize that tears of her own had begun to fall.

"Anyway, uh, they really start to love each other- though they were rather more familial in their affections- but, still. It was there. She taught him about family and she really introduced him to the idea of love. She made him… better. And when he thought he'd lost her, he was willing to do _anything_ to get her back…" He had to stop at this point as he was flooded with memories of all the times when he almost lost his Rose- the burning of Earth, the Gamestation, the Sycorax invasion, New Earth, the Wire- well, the list goes on. He knew it was awful, but sometimes he couldn't help but think of what would happen if an "almost" became a reality.

And, though he didn't know it, she was thinking of all the same things.

He cleared his throat and tried to nonchalantly wipe the tears from his eyes before continuing. "Sweet lord, I feel like a human, what with all this crying and _emotions_ and…" He glanced over at Rose to see yet another Jackie-Tyler-like glare. Swallowing again, he continued. "Ahem, right. Well, anyway, where was I…? Ah, yes. He would do anything to save her. And at the end, he got to stay. They're probably living their lives happily ever after in some theoretical Hawaii. And, well. I can… never have that. I'll change, or something will happen to one of us, or… or you'll leave. And I'll be alone. Again. And, really, it's incredible enough that I found you, but finding another person like you in all of the universes would be impossible. You're the Lilo to my Stitch, Rose Tyler. You make me better, and without you… I'm nothing." He could no longer stop the tears from flowing down his face, but he had long since stopped caring if she saw him cry.

She was sitting there, just staring at him, with a look that held so much sympathy, care, and love. She started to lean closer to him and-

_SMACK!_

-he reeled back from the almighty slap that would have put her mother's to shame, confused and in pain and more than a little scared. "Wh-wa-what was that for?!" he sputtered indignantly as he cradled the throbbing left side of his face. _Sweet Goddess Santori, I'm probably going to feel this in my next regeneration!_

Her look had transformed to one promising infinitely more hurt, yet her eyes still held their love and sympathy. "How dare you, Doctor? How dare you even _think_ that I'd ever leave you! You honestly don't get it, do ya? I'm not leavin' you. Ever. You got that? Cos if not I can slap it into you without a problem."

He almost laughed at that, until her saw her right hand raising once again, almost ready to strike. He hurriedly flung his arms up to protect his face from further injury and quickly said, "Nonononono! No need for that! Nope, I've got it. It's, erm, firmly engraved…. Please don't hurt me." He peeked from between his defensively-placed arms and saw her sitting with a much more amused expression than the one previous.

She sighed before taking his hands in hers and lowering them. "I'm not gonna hurt you." His pointed look made her giggle a bit before sobering. "Ahem, I'm not gonna hurt you _again._" He seemed pleased with this and nodded at her to continue. "I just… I just wish I could convince you that when I said I'd stay forever, I meant it. I'm not gonna leave you, Doctor. I promise."

He looked up at her face and saw so much sincerity that it melted his hearts. Then he remembered how different they were, and that, even if she truly believed what she said, it would never work out that way. "Rose… I- I know that you'd never leave intentionally, but- Well, we live a really dangerous life and something could happen. Or… you might decide that you'd rather live a normal, human, domestic life. And if none of those things happen… you're human. You'll have to go, one day. And there won't be anything I can do-" As his voice broke and he once again began crying in earnest, Rose gathered him into her arms, just as he had only a few days ago, and whispered sweet nothings in an effort to calm him. He was sorted rather quickly, considering, and he gave Rose a watery smile of thanks.

She smiled back, and all was right. "Doctor, there's no use worryin' 'bout all that. Let's just enjoy being together while we can, and not let fears about what may or may not happen get in the way of that. Come on, it's your turn to pick the movie." And so, they spent the next 12 hours watching the 6-movie _"Lion King"_ saga on 3DFCHVDC. And they lived happily, for now.

* * *

AN: Hi, again. I just wanted to give a shoutout to the people that reviewed, namely Truebluetardis and amy871. Thanks, guys. Hope everyone enjoyed.


	4. On a Date

AN: Hi, again. *waves* Well, this one was extremely difficult to write. I kept getting stuck and it ended up being 5 pages long. Blech. It was, however, great fun to write, and I hope y'all enjoy it. Thank you all for reading, favoriting, following, and/or reviewing. Specifically, thanks to Truebluetardis for another very kind review. Just wondering, does anyone have requests for friends to be included in day 9 "Hanging Out With Friends"? I have some ideas, but I'd like to know what you guys would like.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Doctor Who, Lion King, Lilo and Stitch, Frozen, and/or "Doncha" by The Pussycat Dolls. I never have, and never will. I do own Raiprunda, and I love it with all of my heart.

* * *

10ROSE 30-DAY OTP CHALLENGE

DAY 4- On a Date

"UH, Doctor?"

"Yes, Rose?"

"When I said I wanted the two of us to go out on a date, this is _so_ not what I meant."

*~*~ EARLIER THAT DAY~*~*

THE Doctor awoke- _that's right. I was finally able to sleep_\- feeling lighter and happier than he had since he and Rose went to see the new Blon Fel Fotch on Raxacoricofallapatorious. The night before, Rose had let him watch the entire _"Lion King"_ saga- after a rather unfortunate _"Lilo and Stitch"_ fiasco. Anyway, she had given him a lot to think about, and he really was going to get started on that, but something wonderful happened instead. He slept, for the first time in forever- no, wait. Sorry, that's _"Frozen"_. Anyway, the point stands that it had been a long time since he was able to sleep. And his nightmares only woke him up twice! For him, it was almost too good to be true. Ah, good times.

Anyway, he decided that he wanted to do something nice for Rose. He woke up early and got all dressed up in his tuxedo of doom. Using backcombing, some gel, and a little bit of hope, his hair was sticky-uppy and fantastic in under 20 minutes. He quickly walked past Rose's room, and used his superior senses to determine whether or not she was still asleep. _sssSSSKRONNNK._ Yep, still asleep. He hurriedly made his way to the console and decided it might be best to get some help.

"Hey, old girl, how are you?"

He felt an amused tickle brush against the back of his mind before the sentient ship replied. **_Oh, you know: same old, same old. So, are you going to keep awkwardly attempting small talk, or are you going to man up and ask me for advice about dating Rose?_**

He blinked in surprise before (ever so eloquently) sputtering, "H-How did you- What do you- What?!"

He felt another prickle at the back of his mind. **_Sweetheart, I'm psychic…_**

"Oh, right. Well, now that you mention it. Some, erm, _assistance_ would not necessarily go amiss…"

**_Doctor, are you asking me for help? Yes or no?_**

"Well, I wouldn't want to rob you of the, uh, privilege of… bringing happiness to your owner, and-"

**_You. DO NOT. Own me._**

"Er, right. Sorry, old girl. I am aware that we share a mutually-beneficial symbiotic relationship."

**_And…?_**

"Ugh. And I'd be lost without you," he recited, sounding like a begrudging toddler.

**_Quite. Now, you were about to beg for assistance, I believe._**

The Doctor scoffed indignantly before replying, "Oi! I am a Time Lord, and Time Lords do not _beg._"

**_Riiiight, now, please hurry and ask your question before I transfer my good graces back to Rose and translate all of the Gallifreyan Post-It notes you've deigned to stick all over me into English…_**

"NO! Please, oh please, oh _pleeease_ don't!" he said, his eyes widening in fear and shock as he flailed his arms about, as though trying to erase the thought from existence. He became momentarily paralyzed with fear at the thought, knowing that most of them were gushy love notes he wrote for Rose and has always been too scared to verbalize, even though they were now… dating? Together? Courting? An item? Whatever they were, it was no longer "just friends", which reminded him of why he was in this situation in the first place.

"Fine. Oh, great and marvelous TARDIS, please help me."

**_With what? Be specific, Doctor._**

"You get way too much enjoyment out of this. Uh, oh, wonderful and all-in-all perfect time machine, please take Rose and I to the perfect place for a date."

**_Why should I? Remember that there's no such thing as too much flattery. _**

The Doctor rolled his eyes before taking a deep breath, puffing up his cheeks, and letting it all out in one frustrated _whoosh._ "Oh, TARDIS, who art bigger on the inside and better than all else, please take me to the perfect place for a date with Rose, for without you I am lost. Please, have mercy on me, for I am far lesser than you in the ways of relationships and blackmail."

**_Hmm… Very well. As long as you promise to never claim ownership of me, I will take you to the perfect time and place for your… date._**

The Doctor breathed a sigh of relief, glad that his flattery and self-degradation had worn off. "Of course, old girl. I'll go wake up Rose, would you mind setting the coordinates? Maybe I should re-fluff my hair…" And with that he was off, rushing down corridors and trying to decide if he should reapply his volumizing gel from Foliculous-9…

As he went to prepare for his date, he was unable to hear the soft, tinkling laugh of the TARDIS.

**_If it's a date my dear Doctor wants, it's a date he shall get…_**

* * *

"SO, erm, Rose, I was wondering if you'd like to, uh, but if you don't that's fine, because instead we could, not that we even have to do anything, of course, I know that you like to just do nothing sometimes. Not that that's bad! It's… I mean… Oh, I'm in trouble." The Doctor had been rehearsing how he would ask Rose out on their first official date. Needless to say, it was not going well. He had taken the roundabout way to get to Rose's room in order to buy himself time, but even with the 27 minutes and 53.1 seconds it had given him, he was lost. He almost broke down and asked the TARDIS for more help, but he thought it wasn't worth risking her unholy wrath. He abruptly shuddered violently after remembering the last time the TARDIS unleashed her fury on him. He'd never look at the library fireplace the same way again.

He had finally reached Rose's room, and was pleased to hear that the snoring had stopped. _She must have woken up while I was walking here,_ he thought. He knocked on the door, and was a bit surprised when no one came. He went to continue looking for her, and started walking towards the kitchen, where he knew Rose habitually had a morning cuppa first thing when she woke up. He got there in five minutes, and he stilled just before opening the door, because he heard her singing. He always felt incredibly lucky to hear her singing, because she refused to whenever she knew he was around. He had no idea why, though, because he thought her singing was the most beautiful thing in any world.

_"Doncha wish your girlfriend was hot like me?_

_Doncha wish your girlfriend was a freak like me?"_

Well, that happened. Smiling like a fool, the Doctor swept into the kitchen and grabbed Rose in a surprise hug. He nearly choked on the hair that was fluffed out all over her head (sleeping like an animal gave her some impressive bed-head), but it was worth the gasp of surprise and light blush. She spun around in his arms and shot him a kind, if embarrassed smile. "Please tell me you didn't hear anything."

The Doctor, ever the sarcastic one, put on a face of deep thinking, before at length replying, "Well, I seem to remember hearing your musical inquiries regarding whether or not I wished my girlfriend was a hot freak like you."

Rose looked as though she would die of mortification, and quickly fled the kitchen, leaving the Doctor laughing like a hyena in the empty room.

* * *

A bit later, after Rose had showered, changed, and gathered enough courage to see the Doctor again, she arrived in the console room, and only just realized that the Doctor was wearing what they had decided to call "The Tuxedo of Doom."

"Any particular reason you're wearing your cursed tux, or were you just feeling fancy this morning?"

He looked up from where he had been tinkering, and smiled his signature megawatt grin. "Actually, I was thinking, or at least I was hoping, well I just thought it'd be brilliant if- but of course it's your decision and if you don't want to then I-"

"Doctor."

"Yes?"

"Rambling."

"Yes." He took a deep breath, and spoke in a great rush. "Wouldyouliketogoonadatewithme?"

She blinked in surprise at the usually suave Doctor's nervousness, and at the fact that she thought she heard him ask her out on a date. But that was impossible, right? "Uh, would you mind repeatin' that, Doctor?"

"I said: Would you like to, erm, go on a date with me?"

She ran up to where he was stationed on the other side of the console and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him in for a tight hug. "I'd love to, Doctor."

He pulled back from her and beamed. "Allonsy-y, Rose Tyler."

* * *

"WELL, this is definitely the best place for a _date._"

Rose and the Doctor looked around the main square of the capitol city of the planet Raiprunda, which apparently had a culture completely based on dried fruits. Raisins, prunes, and dates (hardy har-har) were sold in dozens of forms as far as the eye could see. Venders sold fresh prune juice, dresses and suits made entirely of raisins, and souvenir statuettes made of stuck together dates. Even the inhabitants of the planet looked wrinkled like someone who had stayed in the tub for too long, and had skin varying in shades of brown, ranging from a golden tan to a rich burgundy-chocolate.

But the planet was especially known for its dates. Apparently, no self-respecting space-traveler would go anywhere else in sector Ecto-Gammit-5 for the dried-fruit delicacy. The Doctor now understood why the TARDIS had been so kind in giving him assistance. She had done exactly what he said, but she used the power of synonyms.

The Doctor and Rose, however, decided to make the best of it, and tried various foods and beverages from the different stalls and carts. It was still as great as ever to Rose, who merely enjoyed seeing the different cultures and societies on all of the planets they visited. And the Doctor merely enjoyed basking in her smile as they visited with the residents and looked at their wares. Apparently, the town square was exceptionally busy because all of the merchants had traveled to the capitol for the annual festival celebrating their goddess, Arefacta. Who, of course, was nothing more than a giant raisin.

Seriously, it was a giant raisin on a shrine.

Unfortunately for all involved, the Doctor thought it would be a good idea to voice this opinion. And naturally this was the worst account of blasphemy the planet had seen since someone with curly hair and a ridiculously long scarf had come and said the same thing. So the Doctor and Rose had to run for their lives. Again. This time, however, the Doctor's tux worked its unholy magic and they were caught. So now they were on a platform made of dates (and the irony was not lost on either of them), about to face death by dehydration so as to become human raisins.

"Uh, Doctor?"

"Yes, Rose?"

"When I said I wanted the two of us to go out on a date, this is _so_ not what I meant."

The Doctor heaved a pained sigh before replying, "It's not what I meant either."

*~*~TO BE CONTINUED~*~*


	5. Kissing

AN: Howdy, all. So, for some reason this chapter was extremely hard to write, and I had actually thought I wouldn't be able to post today. However, after a lot of frustration and a random bit of inspiration, this was born. Thank you all for the continued support, it was pretty much the only thing that made me able to finish writing this. You guys are the best. *initiates cyber-group-hug*

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Doctor Who. I wish I did, because not only would I be rich, but all of my ships would sail and Wholock crossover specials would be a monthly occurrence. I do own Raiprunda, it is my baby, and I love it.

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10ROSE 30-DAY OTP CHALLENGE

DAY 5- Kissing

*~*~PREVIOUSLY~*~*

So now they were on a platform made of dates (and the irony was not lost on either of them), about to face death by dehydration so as to become human raisins.

"Uh, Doctor?"

"Yes, Rose?"

"When I said I wanted the two of us to go out on a date, this is _so_ not what I meant."

The Doctor heaved a pained sigh before replying, "It's not what I meant either."

"SO, any great ideas on how to get us out of this, Mr. It's-Just-a-Giant-Raisin?"

"Well, of course. I don't have any ideas that would actually _work_, per say…"

"Right. That'd be way too easy. And you're wearing your tux of doom so easy's out of the question."

"Yep."

They went silent as they tried to think a way out of their current predicament, but it was hard to think in the sweltering heat of the tropical climate of Raiprunda. _Six_ suns beat down on them as midday came, and the crowd began setting up chairs and blankets to watch the slow public execution. Apparently they hadn't had such great festival entertainment for at least five generations. All of the planet's elite began putting bets on who would dry out first, and the common folk sang hymns about their most-hallowed goddess, Arefacta.

It's funny how sometimes when you're trying very hard to think of something, but you suddenly think of something else entirely. This is what just occurred to Rose.

"Hey, Doctor, have you ever been to Raiprunda before?"

The Doctor developed a look of deep concentration, having to think back six regenerations before realizing he had. "Um, yes. I think I came during a festival, much like the one now, except it was during my fourth regeneration. Ooh, that one was a doozy. The scarf I wore was just-"

"Are you _bloody_ kidding me?!"

The Doctor looked over at his companion in shock, which only grew as he saw the furious look on her face, paired with a decidedly murderous glint in her normally warm brown eyes. He blinked in confusion, thinking that perhaps the intense heat had started to affect her inferior human physiology. _Poor things, how difficult it must be to live such a fragile life. It'd probably be best to get her to focus on something else while I figure a way out of this, so that she doesn't focus on the heat._ "Well, I mean, I thought a scarf was very practical at the time. It made a statement, if nothing else. I think I still have it in the wardrobe room. I might have to show it to-"

Rose cut him off once again, shouting in furry, and this time caught the attention of those in the audience. A new bet had begun: would the tall, thin male be killed by dehydration or by the female? Within minutes, the odds of Rose somehow escaping and murdering the Doctor was 15:1, and rising.

"I know all about your _stupid_ scarf, Doctor. I know what you looked like in your fourth regeneration; you showed me pictures. What I honestly _cannot _believe, is that you came here before, got accused of blasphemy, and condemned to death by being turned in to a flippin' _raisin,_ and then waited six regenerations to do it all again!"

The odds rose to 26:1.

The Doctor's eyes widened in fear as he flushed with unease and shame. "Well, I- you see what happened was- I just forgot and- but you see, the TARDIS-"

"DON'T YOU DARE TRY TO PUT THIS ON THE TARDIS!"

47.5:1, and rising by the _second._

"Honestly, Doctor, if you're gonna do something stupid- _twice_, no less- the least you could do is own up to it, instead of trying to blame your poor ship. Who are ya gonna blame next? Mickey? Sarah Jane? _Me?_"

Everyone stopped betting at that point. It was obvious that the male would die at the hand of his pretty yellow friend.

The Doctor sputtered for a moment, surprised that she would think that. "Rose, all I was going to say was that the TARDIS was the one that brought us here. I asked her to take us to the perfect place for a date, and I guess she thought it'd be funny to-"

"You did what?"

The Doctor was taken aback once again, this time at the softness of her voice. "I asked the TARDIS to take us to the perfect place for a date. I knew that it was important to make our first date special- not that it wasn't brilliant when we watched the Earth explode and you bought chips. Because it was. But, I thought it would be good if I took some initiative and did something nice, but since I'm utterly rubbish I asked the TARDIS for help. And I was really too focused on trying to ask you out without sounding like a complete idiot to notice that the TARDIS had agreed to help suspiciously quickly. She's rather mischievous, so I truly should have paid more attention at the time. See, I asked her to take us to the best place in the universe for a "date", but she used the power of differing definitions- ooh, isn't that an amazing alliteration, haha- and took us to the best place for a "date", as in the dried fruit. So, it is her fault, in a roundabout kind of way."

The bet on how the Doctor would die re-opened, this time adding "talks self to death" in the options.

The Doctor himself paid no attention to the raisin-like locals betting over his demise, instead focusing on the pink and yellow girl on his left. "Rose?"

The girl in question snapped her head up, looking like someone waking from a dream. "Sorry, Doctor. I just- I can't believe you'd go through all of that for me. Thank you, and I'm sorry I yelled at you."

The third bet of the day made its appearance: if they survived, would the yellow female kill or kiss the tall brown male? 12:1 said kiss at this juncture.

"Rose, I'd do anything for you."

28:1. What? Raiprundans shifted loyalties quickly and efficiently. Nothing wrong with that.

"PEOPLE OF RAIPRUNDA, YOUR ATTENTION PLEASE."

The Doctor and Rose had been too busy smiling and staring at each other to notice the elderly Raiprundan walk up to the platform and address the gathered population.

"THE ELDERS HAVE RECEIVED A MESSAGE FROM THE GREAT AREFACTA. SHE HAS INSTRUCTED US TO FREE THESE BLASHPEMERS- ah, HONORED GUESTS, AND TO INCLUDE THEM IN THE SACRED DANCE OF DAPRUSIN."

There was a collective gasp as the natives realized that their bets would actually reach fruition.

The Doctor and Rose were released in record time, and all those that had put money on on the 28:1 odds celebrated the winning of their bets.

*~*~A FEW HOURS LATER, IN THE TARDIS~*~*

"SO, Doctor, how did you send them a message from 'The Great Arefacta'?"

"Actually, I didn't. Huh, I wonder how-"

**_One of theses days, Thief, I'm not going to help you. _**

"Ah, The Great Goddess TARDIS strikes again."


	6. Wearing Each Other's Clothes

AN: Hewwow, interwebians. I know that neither of those are proper words, but eh. Anyway, I want to thank everyone for their support, and special thanks to GriffinGirl8665 and Truebluetardis for the reviews. Also, I'm extremely excited that in two days, I will have written a chapter everyday for a straight week. This is probably nothing for some/most people, but my writing usually takes weeks to months and is rubbish, so I'm excited.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Doctor Who, Converse, and/or Comicon. I did come up with Mtumavazi, but that's not near as impressive. And I still own Raiprunda, which it's slightly more impressive.

* * *

10ROSE 30-DAY OTP CHALLENGE

DAY 6- Wearing Each Other's Clothes

WELL. This was different. Not bad, mind, but… different. Definitely… different. Hm.

See, they were on this planet in sector Ecto-Gammit-5, not all that far from Raiprunda, and they did things a bit differently there. Namely, their way of dressing. It was customary on the planet Mtumavazi for all of the females to dress in suits and the like, while men wore… dresses. The Doctor suggested they go elsewhere, anywhere else really. But Rose wanted to go to Mtumavazi. So the Doctor caved. Big shocker, I know. But, the only acceptable menswear (or "womenswear", on the planet) for the time period was the Doctor's suit, just as the only acceptable womenswear (vice versa) was Rose's pink dress from when they went to 1953.

So they switched clothes.

And, really, the Doctor didn't hate it. It was just… breezy. Well, it felt like a draft, but stranger, because it was on his legs. And he was wearing heels. Pink heels. Those were from the wardrobe room, though, seeing as how the Doctor had larger feet. And… it was just weird.

Rose, on the other hand, had never been more comfortable. The suit itself was comfortably warm, but it breathed so she didn't overheat. The shirt was softer than she remembered from hugging the Doctor, and the tie was just adorable. She also had the immense pleasure of wearing her very own pair of Converse ® Hi-Tops, and they were _so_ comfortable. More so than her own trainers, definitely. And she had the even greater pleasure of seeing the Doctor in a dress. And if she happened to snap a few pictures and send them to her mum and Mickey, well, it was okay as long as she didn't get caught. And if Jackie happened to post them on Facebook, well… it wasn't _totally_ Rose's fault. Muahaha.

Ahem.

Anyway, it was really a beautiful planet. It was decidedly less rustic than the last planet they had visited (bless the Raiprundans). The buildings all looked like the ones they'd found on New Earth, with a bit of Torchwood tower in the architecture and design. Everything looked basically futuristic, though the time was somewhere near the 13TH century for Earth, if the TARDIS was being accurate. The people looked humanoid, and the Doctor informed her that the locals were the descendents of the planet's more primitive inhabitants and humans from Earth in the early 1100s. So, that kind of happened.

Anyway, they toured the capitol of the nearest country, Serdsorc, and had a wonderful time. The Doctor couldn't figure out for the lives of him why Rose would sometimes look over at him and laugh, but he just enjoyed seeing her smile. _Hm, I wonder what she finds so funny. Maybe it's seeing all of these men in dresses. Humans, always finding the bizarre _so_ hilarious. I mean, I don't walk around laughing at all the women in suits. It's really a bit inconsiderate, her laughing at all of those men… Why did I take her to a planet with so many men?! What if she gets desensitized to seeing them in dresses and she decides that one of them is prettier- I mean more handsome than me? These Mtumavazians are more humanoid, maybe she prefers that. What have I done? What do I do?_

Rose couldn't stop laughing. The Doctor was holding her hand and walking about, as if it were just a normal day, _in her bright pink, fluffy dress. _She honestly couldn't believe how casual he was about it. Then again, maybe her planet was one of the only ones that had women in dresses and men in suits. Maybe Mtumavazi actually goes by what's normal in the universe. Hm…

The Doctor was full-on panicking. Horrific scenarios filled his mind as he tried to casually walk in the strappy heels he'd been forced to wear. _What if she doesn't like me now that she's seen me in a dress? What if she thinks I'm too feminine? Maybe I should point out my manly, hairy hand again, just to make sure that she doesn't forget how manly I am… No, that would never work. She'd know something was up. Maybe I should make a joke of it? Ask if I look pretty? No! I know what to do…_

"Um, Rose?" the Doctor asked sheepishly, with a gentle tug on his companion's hand.

"Yeah?" she replied warily.

The Doctor took a deep breath and steeled himself. "I need to ask you a question, and no matter what the answer is, I need you to tell me the truth, okay?"

The intense look in his eyes shocked her, and her apprehension grew. _Please tell me I didn't do something stupid. He might send me home. I don't want to go… _"Of course, Doctor."

"Rose, I need you to promise. _Promise_ me that you'll tell me the truth."

"I promise, Doctor. Seriously. Please just- whatever you wanna say, say it, cos you're kind of freakin' me out."

The Doctor took another deep breath, and stopped them in the middle of the sidewalk they were on, before locking eyes with her and asking, "Does this dress make my butt look big?"

Rose blinked in surprise once, and then once again, before smacking him on the arm with impressive force. The Doctor dissolved into (mature and masculine… or not) giggles, and tried to defend himself against the rest of Rose's attacks, much to the amusement of the other couples walking on the street.

"Doctor! (smack!) I can't bloody (smack!) believe you'd (smack!) scare me like that! (smacksmacksmack!)" Rose continued her onslaught of slaps to the Doctor's arm as said Time Lord cowered and howled with laughter.

"Rose I- I'm s-sorry. I just co-couldn't help mys-self." He had to stop as he became unable to breathe after a rather intense set of giggles gripped him. They were both able to stop their indignant smacking and immense giggling in about five minutes, and both waited to catch their breath before once again joining hands and continuing down the street. They continued on in silence for a few moments before the purple sky above them began to rumble, and soon they were drenched in a sudden downpour of light pink rain, which matched the Doctor's borrowed dress beautifully.

They ducked into a nearby café, and Rose sat down as the Doctor ordered them Mtumavazi's equivalent of two cuppas. They were ready soon, and they sat down near the window at the entrance of the shop. The "tea" was good; it tasted like earl grey, but sweeter and with a hint of chai-like spice.

Rose used her Converse®-clad foot to nudge the Doctor's heeled one, before cutting into their established silence. "You really did scare me earlier, Doctor."

The Doctor looked up at her sheepishly, finally feeling remorse for teasing her. "I'm sorry, Rose. I just wanted to lighten the mood a bit, you know? Add some familiarity to our… rather unorthodox day. I didn't mean to scare you- well, actually I did. I didn't mean to scare you too bad, let's go with that. Besides, I really was afraid this dress took away from the 'slim and a little bit foxy' look that I'm trying to go for." He gave her a wink and a megawatt smile, hoping to distract her a bit.

It only worked a little. Just for a second. But could you really blame her? She was only human, after all.

She almost laughed, but then sobered as she decided that what she really needed right now was revenge. And she knew just how to get it. "Very well, Doctor. I will forgive you- on one condition."

The serious look on her face made him a bit wary, but he knew that in the end he'd do anything for his Rose. "Right-o, Rose Tyler. Name your price."

"You have to take me to Comicon on Earth so we can cosplay."

"…So we can what?"

*~*~TO BE CONTINUED~*~*

* * *

AN: Hey, guys. Sorry to put a second author's note, but I'd like some help, please. I have a few ideas for who the Doctor and Rose should dress as, but I'd love you guys' opinion. I really hate to ask for reviews, but I'd really appreciate the help. Thanks!


	7. Cosplaying

AN: Aloha! Yeah, I promise I'll stop trying to make these greetings unique. Anyway, I'd like to thank the Academy- no, I'd like to thank my readers. So, thanks. Especially to Truebluetardis for the review, and thanks to those that followed and favorited as well. I may not be able to update tomorrow, but I plan to post another chapter today to make up for it. I'm having a friend over (I know, I can't believe I have one either) and I don't want to ignore her to write fanfic, though fanfic is a very noble cause. Enjoy this chapter.

DISCLAIMER: Well, I own nothing in this one. The things I don't own are: Doctor Who, Star Trek, Comicon, Sherlock, Lilo and Stitch, The Decoy Bride, Star Wars, Tangled, and Tesco's.

* * *

10ROSE 30-DAY OTP CHALLENGE

DAY 7- Cosplaying

*~*~PREVIOUSLY~*~*

She almost laughed, but then sobered as she decided that what she really needed right now was revenge. And she knew just how to get it. "Very well, Doctor. I will forgive you- on one condition."

The serious look on her face made him a bit wary, but he knew that in the end he'd do anything for his Rose. "Right-o, Rose Tyler. Name your price."

"You have to take me to Comicon on Earth so we can cosplay."

"…So we can what?"

* * *

"ROOOOOOOSE, I look so stupid."

"Doctor, please quit your whinin'. You want me to forgive you for practically scarin' the life out of me, doncha?"

"…Yes."

"Then quit your bellyachin' and help me with this zipper."

The Doctor grumbled a bit before leaning down and helping Rose with the zipper on her almost knee-high boots. She wore stockings which disappeared under mid-thigh-length yellow dress, which had a plain grey shirt underneath it. A small Star Fleet insignia decorated the right side of her collar, and her hair was done in a classic Star Trek style. She was quite looking forward to her fem!Kirk cosplay. But she was even more excited about the Doctor…

"Rose, I really don't see why I need to wear this," he said after both of her boots were properly zipped up. "I mean, you put me in this outfit, which was weird but okay, it's not my suit but, hey, what is? Anyway, then, you fastened theses frankly ridiculous ears on me. Really, what's a 'Vulcan'? There's nothing like them in all of time and space. Honestly, is that some sort of weird pastime with you lot? Inventing fake aliens for your TV shows? It's silly. There are all of these planets and worlds and civilizations that you don't even know about, but do you go explore all of that? Nooo, you just sit on your couch eating chips and watching Klingons and Tribbles and all of this made-up nonsense. But back to my point, you did something, something so wrong and vile and practically inexcusable, that I don't even think I want to leave the TARDIS today, let alone the fact that after we finish up at this- this _'Comicon'_ we have to go see your mum."

Rose let out an exasperated sigh and rolled her eyes (huh, she seemed to be doing that a lot lately) before tiredly replying. "What did I do that's so horrific, Doctor?"

"YOU SMOOSHED MY HAIR!"

Rose hurriedly looked up at him, startled by his outburst, and then promptly began to howl with laughter as the Doctor shot her his "Oncoming Storm" face, with decidedly-not-fluffy hair and a fresh Spock costume, courtesy of the TARDIS. She tried her very hardest to stop, but every time she looked up at him it started anew. They had spent the last hour and a half getting ready, with Rose insisting that everything had to be perfect. This meant that the Doctor's hair had to be styled in the typical Vulcan fashion, almost the complete opposite of his usual 'do. And it was _hilarious_.

"Rooooose! Don't laugh at me! _You're _the one that decided that we had to go to Comicon as a half-genderbent Star Trek duo. I had so many good suggestions of what we could have been instead, all of which _did not_ require my hair being flattened in any way. And I thought- no, _think_ they were rather good. And we are in a time machine, so we have plenty of time to change…" The Doctor trailed off hopefully, thinking over his many thoughts on who they could have cosplayed as instead. Namely: Sherlock and Molly from BBC _Sherlock;_ Lilo and Stitch; James Arber and Katie Nic Aodh from that brilliant movie _The Decoy Bride_ (he did get a bit jealous, though, when Rose mentioned that she thought the author character was "hot"); Han Solo and Leia from _Star Wars; _and lastly, Rapunzel and Eugene from Disney's _Tangled. _And none of them, absolutely _none of them_ would have required him to endure the hair smooshing. But Rose voted for Spock and a female version of Kirk, and so his hair was smooshed. He sighed, wondering if there would ever be a day that he put anything else before what Rose wanted. He knew the answer was no. Always.

He snapped himself out of his thoughts as he heard the whooshing sound that signaled that the TARDIS had arrived. Gathering his courage, he checked the monitor to see where- and when- they landed: Earth, 21ST Century, London, Comicon of 2007. _Good Lord, here we go._

* * *

"BY the Tribbles of the Enterprise, Commander Spock and Captain Kirk!"

_Oh, no. Not the fans. Anything but that…_

The Doctor grimaced as a mass of teenagers swarmed himself and his companion, whom he had latched on to for complete and total fear. He hadn't let go of her hand once since they arrived, and she was only mildly annoyed. Other, erm, _Trekkies_ had been loitering about them all day, and it was getting tiresome. It had only been three hours, and they still had five hours to go. He was fairly certain he would regenerate before the end of the day. If he was lucky, at least.

His mood quickly went from scared and a bit irritated to full-on fury when a Chekhov cosplayer in his late teens began trying to flirt with Rose. He was determined, however, to keep under control. This was until himself and Rose were separated, and as the other Spock cosplayers hoarded around him and began quizzing him on Star Trek trivia. This in itself did not bother him, until he saw who had gone to Rose's side in his absence.

"Hey, you wanna ditch the Vulcan and hang with a real man instead? Cos if so, 'I can do zat'."

And with that, the Doctor had a new least favorite character of Star Trek. He quickly dispersed the fans that had come near him and marched towards the Chekhov wannabe, full "Oncoming Storm" glare fixed on his face. Just before he could sonic his prop phaser and make it operational, he saw Rose shake her head at the cosplayer and push him away before making her way back to him. She looked up at her Doctor with a smile and joined their hands once again. "No thanks, Chekhov. The Commander has me well taken care of."

Needless to say, the Doctor was much happier after that, even with the crowds of people that didn't know what Raxacoricofalapatorians were. They continued looking around for the next few hours, visiting the various booths for different books, movies, and TV shows. Rose was even able to convince the Doctor to compete in a small trivia quiz, which he took 1ST place in. However, he did almost cause a discrepancy in the timeline when he made a reference to a reboot that wouldn't be made for another six years. But other than that it was a great afternoon. Of course, it turned out that one of the cosplayers was actually an alien trying to gather intel on what to do and what not to do when planning to take over Earth, and around 7:30 it decided that it knew all it needed to and made its attempt. Then Rose and the Doctor had to step in and things were soniced and nails were broken, but by 8:15 the threat was neutralized and they were running back to the TARDIS. After laughing at the sheer ridiculousness of finding an alien cosplaying as a Star Trek character, they parted ways to change and get ready to go to Jackie's, which primarily required emotional preparation on the Doctor's part.

They were re-landed in the alley closest to the Powell Estates and walking up the stairs soon enough, reminiscing over their last adventure. The Doctor was really quite content, and only protested a lot when Jackie kissed him- _seven times_\- on the cheek. Rose and her mother went upstairs to talk and sleep, and he settled in on the couch with a cuppa and some _Eastenders_ reruns. He didn't sleep, but that was alright. He was where he wanted to be- with Rose, not at Jackie's- and everything was good.

* * *

THE next morning, after the Tylers had slept and the Doctor's mind had been fried from _Eastenders_ for 9 straight hours, the girls came downstairs to find the Doctor in the kitchen making everyone banana pancakes and bacon.

"Well, what's all this then? Rose, 'ave you been trainin' him to cook?"

Rose laughed at the Doctor's offended expression and continued to chat and joke with them both. They had breakfast, which was delicious, and the Doctor cleaned up the kitchen as the girls went to change. After everything had been sorted and they were back downstairs, Jackie went to make tea as the Doctor and Rose cuddled up on the couch. They knew that they'd have to tell Jackie about their new relationship, but for now everything was good.

"Rose, love, could you an' the Doctor run to Tesco's for me later?"

Everything was very, very _bad._

*~*~TO BE CONTINUED~*~*

* * *

AN: I'm sorry that I keep making these multi-chaptered, I just can't seem to stop. This next one will be the last one that's attached, so yeah. Anyway, I'll just... go now. *awkwardly walks away*


	8. Shopping

AN: Hello, all. So, I am very happy that I was able to finish this second chapter of the day. Sorry in advance for not posting tomorrow. Thank you to all that read, reviewed, followed, and/or favorited. Hope you guys enjoy, and I shall return with chapter 9 on Sunday.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Doctor Who or Tesco's. I did come up with the Slooshlan, but I also don't own the Abominable Snowman.

* * *

10ROSE 30-DAY OTP CHALLENGE

DAY 8- Shopping

*~*~PREVIOUSLY~*~*

After everything had been sorted and they were back downstairs, Jackie went to make tea as the Doctor and Rose cuddled up on the couch. They knew that they'd have to tell Jackie about their new relationship, but for now everything was good.

"Rose, love, could you an' the Doctor run to Tesco's for me later?"

Everything was very, very _bad._

* * *

"DOCTOR, would you please quit whinin'? My mum just wants us to pick up a few things at the store; it's _not_ the end of the world."

"But, Rose. There will be people there. People! And they'll be acting normal and domestic and _human_-"

"Oi. Might want to watch it with the human insults."

The Doctor huffed and continued to walk in the grumpiest way possible as Rose pushed the cart through the aisles of Tesco's. The Doctor kept trying to put sweeties and bananas in the cart, but Rose cut him off at five bananas and a chocolate bar. And, for the record, he wasn't _sulking_. Nope. He was just… nonverbally showing displeasure via pouting and grumbling in discontentment under his breath. Not sulking. Never. Because Time Lords don't sulk. But if they did- just if because he totally wasn't- a trip to Tesco's for Jackie Tyler would have been an exception. But it wasn't for him. Well, maybe just a little. Or a lot. Okay, he was sulking. But could you blame him?

"Roooooose. Why did I have to come? I'm not even doing anything. I'm just following you around while we look for tea bags, bread, and other silly groceries I didn't even bother remembering. Can't I just…" He trailed off and motioned to the wide double doors, hoping beyond hope that she'd say yes.

She gave a frustrated sigh before turning to face the Doctor and placing her hands on her hips in a "no nonsense" pose. "You're right, Doctor. You didn't have to come. You could have stayed with my _mum_ all mornin', but I don't know. For some reason I actually thought you'd like to spend some time with me."

The Doctor's face changed from one of relief to despair and shock as Rose spoke. He couldn't believe that she thought- I mean of course he wanted to spend time with her. He opened his mouth to protest but was immediately silenced when Rose raised her hand.

"Please don't try to interrupt. I'm not done. You're right about everything you just said. You haven't been helping; you've just been followin' me and whinin' about havin' to be here. You also didn't bother to help me remember what we needed to find, even though I called my mum twice because even though I'm actually putting forth some effort, I really can't remember. You absolutely can leave. It would actually be easier for both of us if you did. Now, you can either step up and quit actin' like a little kid, or you can't go back to my mum's and hang out with her. Or, know what? Why don't you just go back to the TARDIS? I really don't care what you do, okay?" And with that, she turned back around and continued her search for the right brand of peanut butter.

The Doctor was shocked. He knew that he hadn't been acting his most mature, but he didn't think he'd taken it too far. _I never meant to- I would never- Oh, what have I done? How do I fix it? I'm sorry, Rose. I'm so sorry…_

He quickly jogged up to Rose, who had moved over a few aisles as he had concocted a plan. _She said I need to step up. I need to show her that this matters to me. It matters because I love her. I need to prove that I love her…_ He ran up behind her and wrapped his arms around her middle, placing his chin on top of her head. "I'm sorry, Rose. I'm just not used to things that are so… domestic. I'd like to learn. And do better. I'm so sorry…"

Rose sighed before once again stopping so she could face the Doctor. She looked up at him and searched his face and, seemingly satisfied, returned his hug. "I know, Doctor. I'm sorry I blew up at you. I just- I thought you and my mum were getting better with each other, y'know? I mean, she kissed you on the cheek and made tea, and then you made breakfast and wanted- well, I _thought_ you wanted to come help with the shoppin'. I think it'd be so, so _great_ if you two got along. But, well, I guess it's not gonna happen…"

The Doctor bent down to give Rose a gentle kiss on the head before replying, "I know, sweetheart. And I promise to… try my very hardest, alright?"

Rose smiled up at the Doctor and gave him a quick peck before turning back to her list. "That'd be perfect, Doctor. Now, do you want to get the biscuits or the beans and bread?"

He'd do anything for her, but this was going to be a long day.

* * *

THERE was an alien. In the bleedin' dairy aisle of Tesco's. A giant, bright orange, fur-covered alien. It looked like the unholy love child of the Abominable Snowman and an orange tube sock. The Doctor and Rose promptly ditched their cart so as to try to stop the alien from taking over the world, or hurting people, or whatever it was trying to do. After having a nice chat with him, however, they discovered that he had simply run out of eggs and wanted to pick some up before breakfast. They directed him to the eggs, and the Doctor was able to call the TARDIS to land there, and the alien- a kindly Slooshlan named Mortimer- was back home in five minutes. They had to get everything gathered all over again when they returned to Tesco's, and were thankfully able to convince everyone that it was a bunch of students in a suit playing a prank. They purchased their groceries and went back to the TARDIS, which had been parked in the nearest alley. Looking over at the wall for a moment, the Doctor saw a strange piece of graffiti that simply said "Blaidd Drwg." _Hm. Some delinquent nearby must be Welsh._

The Doctor took special care to land the TARDIS gently so as to protect the groceries from being crushed. It was… not as bad as it could have been. Ahem. _Anyway._

They made it back to the Powell Estates in record time and Jackie peppered their cheeks with even more kisses, much to the Doctor's disgust and Rose's amusement. Jackie insisted on putting the groceries away herself, because "you two did all the work" and "you had to deal with those silly students, but didn't their costume look so _real_?". They settled in on the couch, encompassing each other in a sideways hug. They were so caught up in their own thoughts that they didn't notice time passing, or a certain mother returning…

"I KNEW IT!"

They quickly broke apart, the Doctor jumping all the way to the other side of the couch. Rose tried not to giggle at that, and when she was the "I told you so" look on her mother's face, she succeeded. "Wh-what do you mean, Mum?"

Jackie sighed, knowing that Rose was bluffing. "What I mean is, I knew that you two were more than friends since he had those awful ears."

"Oi!"

"Oh, Doctor, you know I'm right. Anyway, I dunno why it took you so long to tell me. It isn't like I didn't know."

Rose looked from the Doctor to her mother a few times before sighing and letting everything out. "Mum, that's not how it is. _We_ didn't even know until a few weeks ago. I talked to the Doctor about us needin' to tell ya, but I honestly think he was scared you were gonna smack 'im again."

_"Oi!"_

"Shush, Doctor; you know it's true. Anyway, yes. We are… more than friends now. We even went on our first official date. I mean, sure, we got accused of blasphemy for calling a goddess a giant raisin, and almost got killed, but still. It was a pretty nice date. I'm sorry we didn't tell you first thing."

Jackie shook her head in disbelief at her daughter's description of their date before joining them on the couch and pulling them both in a bone-crushing hug. "That's alright, sweetheart. I understand. You two have to promise me, though, that you're gonna be coming to visit more often. I understand that you two do your own thing in that box, but I want to get to know you better, Doctor. Especially if you end up bein' my son-in-law."

As Rose tried to get over her shock and tell her mother that it wasn't like that, she was stopped when she heard the Doctor reply, "That'd be great, Jackie. Want me to go make us some tea?" And as the Doctor left and Jackie began chattering on about the handsome new man that moved into the flat across the hall, Rose thought about how much she looked forward to her mum and the Doctor growing closer.

"…Yeah, he said he would only be stayin' for a few weeks, and apparently he's some sort of captain. Captain Jack Harkness is what he said his name was."

Rose's head snapped up immediately when she heard this, her eyes widening in shock. _It can't be Jack. Jack died at the Gamestation. It can't be him. It just can't be… _

There was a knock at the door, and Jackie went to answer as Rose stayed on the couch, frozen in surprise and disbelief.

"Oh, Jack, it's you! And this must be your girlfriend you were tellin' me about. Oh, come in, come in. We were just about to have tea. Here, come meet my daughter and her friend."

Rose looked up and was met with the familiar face of Captain Jack, and a redheaded woman she hadn't met before. The Doctor walked into the room just as they did, and shock passed over his face as he almost dropped the tea.

"Hey, Doctor, Rosie. Long time no see."

*~*~TO BE CONTINUED~*~*

* * *

AN: I know that I said that this would be the last in the group, but it turns out I lied. :-/ Sorry, y'all. Also, sorry for the sort-of cliffhanger, but it had to happen. I hope you understand.


	9. Hanging Out With Friends

AN: Hey, peoples! So sorry for not updating yesterday, but it was really nice being able to spend some time with my friend, so I hope you understand. This chapter got away from me and turned into a bit of a monster (over 2,300 words, sweet lord). Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this, and I'm sorry in advance if Jack and Donna aren't in character. I've never written them and it's been a while since I've watched their episodes. Enjoy, and thank you to all those that have read, reviewed, followed, and/or favorited.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Doctor Who or any of its characters. If I did, Donna and Rose would have never left, and K9 would have been their family pet. I also don't own Top Gear, in fact I've never watched it. Sorry to all Top Gear fans that are offended.

* * *

10ROSE 30-DAY OTP CHALLENGE

DAY 9- Hanging Out With Friends

*~*~PREVIOUSLY~*~*

_It can't be Jack. Jack died at the Gamestation. It can't be him. It just can't be… _

There was a knock at the door, and Jackie went to answer as Rose stayed on the couch, frozen in surprise and disbelief.

"Oh, Jack, it's you! And this must be your girlfriend you were tellin' me about. Oh, come in, come in. We were just about to have tea. Here, come meet my daughter and her friend."

Rose looked up and was met with the familiar face of Captain Jack, and a redheaded woman she hadn't met before. The Doctor walked into the room just as they did, and shock passed over his face as he almost dropped the tea.

"Hey, Doctor, Rosie. Long time no see."

* * *

ROSE couldn't move. She couldn't believe he was here. _He-he died. I saw him die. The Doctor told me he died- oh, my lord. I forgot rule #1._ "J-Jack?" She got up from the couch and walked over to him, afraid that he would disappear if she made any sudden movements. Jack saw her fear and met her halfway, conveniently right in front of the Doctor, who could only gape at the man he, too, had thought to be deceased. Rose, upon realizing that it wasn't a dream or a trick, pulled Jack into a tight hug and felt tears well up in her eyes. "Oh, my God. I thought you were dead!"

Jack chuckled slightly at that, and it reverberated a bit in his chest, tickling Rose. "I was."

She looked up at him in shock, the _how? _already forming on her lips, when the Doctor broke them apart and began scanning the captain with his sonic screwdriver. "How did you survive? Wait, you said you were dead. How were you resuscitated? How did you get off the Gamestation? Where have you been?"

Jack looked at the Doctor with an amused expression and looked over at the as-yet-unnamed redhead on the other side of the room. His expression to her said _"see what I mean?". _"Let me see here. My atoms were rearranged and I was resuscitated with the Time Vortex energy from the Bad Wolf; I got off the Gamestation by waiting for a rescue party from Earth and finding a new Time Vortex Manipulator; I've been all over, but I was working for Torchwood up until six months ago when I met that," and here he pointed to the ginger woman. "Lady right there. Say hello, Donna. Anyway, we've been investigating and have essentially gone vigilante, doing you two's job while you've been off exploring. We've been trying to do what Torchwood is _supposed _to be doing, i.e. alien protection sans murder. We've been living in Cheswick for a while but figured London would be more conductive to our work. Any more questions?" Jack looked around the room, waiting for anyone to continue their inquiries. Donna simply smirked and went to his side, and Rose and the Doctor tried to process everything that had transpired. Jackie looked more confused (big shocker, I know) but they all remained silent.

"Good. In that case, Doctor, Rosie, would you like to join Donna and me for lunch? We certainly have some catching up do."

* * *

"SO, basically, on the Gamestation some person called the Bad Wolf killed ya, brought ya back to life, and just… left ya? And now you can't die?" Rose was trying to remember what had happened that day, and who this "Bad Wolf" might be, but it was still like something forbidden, as if the memories were being repressed for her own good. She hated it.

Jack looked at the Doctor confusedly, and almost questioned Rose about why she forgot, but one subtle shake of the Doctor's head silenced that. "Uh, yeah. I wasn't entirely sure what was going on at first, and it took me a few decades to get used to it, but-"

"Wait," Rose interrupted. "Whadja mean 'decades'? We've only been gone a few months."

"Well, Rosie, it's been a lot longer for me, because I've been traveling and Vortex-jumping a lot. I just decided to come back around the time I left, and I've been following the real passing of time. For me it's been about, oh, 150 years? Something like that."

This silenced Rose once again, as she wondered how on _Earth_ he had gone 150 years without aging a bit.

"Anyway, as I was saying, it took some time to get used to, but it's helped me out of some sticky situations, so I decided to just go with it. I met Miss Donna here when she was working as a temp back in Cheswick-"

"As the _best_ temp in Cheswick."

"Er, right. How silly of me to forget. Anyway, as she was working as _the best_ temp in Cheswick, I was investigating yet another alien trying to take over Earth. It was Donna's wedding day, but some temporal/spatial rift caused her to materialize right smack in the middle of my apartment. She was mad, gave me a smack that rivaled Jackie's, and stormed out. Of course, it turned out that her fiancé was actually a consort for the alien, so that relationship got a bit ruined, but it ended up working out for me. We parted ways, and that was when I started traveling again. We, of course, hadn't kept in contact, and I honestly thought we'd never see each other again. I'm really happy to say that I was wrong." He stopped now in order to shoot Donna a tender smile and gently squeezed her hand before facing the Doctor and Rose again and continuing.

"Anyhow, we _did_ end up seeing each other again, about 62 years later for me and a couple months later for her. Turns out she had been snooping around anything and everything that was suspicious, and we ended up meeting again over some revolutionary weight-loss pill. Tell me, Doc, you ever heard of the Adipose?"

The Doctor chuckled a bit at that. "That was you two? You two are the reason that blobs of human fat evolved into Adipose? Thanks a lot for that, Rose and I had to deal with that over on Delta-Gamma-6 last week."

Jack smiled and winked before replying, "Hey, anything for you. Anyway, we met again investigating, ended up saving not only the Adipose babies but also the human race, and ended up having a date afterwards. The rest is history."

Donna had been silent up until this point, but decided that now was her time to launch an inquisition on the Doctor Jack had told her about. "What about you then, Doctor? First off, what kind of name is 'The Doctor'? Doctor Who?"

Rose started laughing at that, in earnest, and was only just able to gasp out something about the Doctor owing her ten quid. The Doctor mock scowled at her before replying to the blunt redhead. "Nothing else, actually. It's just 'The Doctor'."

Donna squinted disapprovingly before nodding a bit. "Hm. Well, what about this one? Are you two a couple, or do you even do that sort of thing? Jack told me you're an alien, but you're still a man, ain't cha?"

The Doctor blanched a bit, blinking stupidly and gaping. "Uh, no, you see, we're kind of- well, really we're- I mean- Rose, would you mind?" His voice had gotten progressively higher as the sentence continued, and he began to squeak towards the end. _How in the world(s) am I supposed to explain my relationship with Rose to this complete stranger, when I don't even know how to explain it to myself?!_

"Er, well, we are together. We've been in a, erm, romantic… -ish… relationship for about a month now."

"Hm. Well, I dunno how you put up with him. Jack said he was a right mess. Isn't that right, dear?"

Now it was Jack's turn to look scared. _If I admit to it, I upset the Doctor. If I deny it, I upset Donna. What should I do? Do I want to risk making the Doctor mad, or Donna? _"That's exactly right, babe. Then again, that was back when he had the ears, before he regenerated and all. He might be totally different now. What do you think about the new Doctor, Rose?"

Rose was getting more uncomfortable by the second, but this about did her in. "You know, Jack, I never really minded the Doctor before. I mean, sure he could be grumpy and brooding sometimes-"

"Oi!"

"Oh, shush, you know it's true. Anyway, even with the grumpiness, he wasn't all that bad. Sometimes, he was actually really… sweet." Her face turned wistful and a bit sad as she remembered her Doctor of leather and ears. _He really was fantastic…_

The Doctor noticed her look turning melancholy, and pulled her into as much of a hug as he could in their shared half of a booth. Meanwhile, Jack and Donna shared a look of their own, but theirs was more exasperated.

"Oh, I didn't even have to see you two together before to see that you two've been in love from the bleedin' start. How long after you two met did you fall? A month? A week? Or was it just a day?" Donna had definitely decided to avoid walking on eggshells with these two. _How stupid did they have to be? It's so flippin' obvious they've been in love from the beginning, but they waited til a few weeks ago? Actin' like they've got all the time in the world. It's insane._

Rose began by saying, "No no no, we just started as friends-" just as the Doctor started with, "Oh it was about… three days?" They looked at each other in mutual shock, Rose because she hadn't expected anything like that from him, and the Doctor because he couldn't believe he'd said it out loud.

"You- you what, Doctor?" _He loved me after three days. He loved me after three days. HE LOVED ME AFTER THREE DAYS!_

"I- uh- well- Ifellinlovewithyouafterthreedays." The Doctor's face turned a brilliant shade of red, and his eyes became the size of saucers. _I can't believe I told her that. I can't believe I told her that. I CAN'T BELIEVE I TOLD HER THAT! _

Donna and Jack looked with amusement at the bombshell they'd helped along, and decided to leave off the questions for now. After all, at least two people in the party had forever.

* * *

AFTER another hour or so, the four new friends decided that it would be good to head back to Jackie's. The Doctor didn't think so, of course, but he was more than a bit outnumbered. They made it back fairly quickly, and Jack and Donna stopped by to say hello before retiring to their flat across the hall. Jackie, Rose, and the Doctor enjoyed a small dinner together before Jackie decided it was time for her to go to bed, and bid the two resident time travelers good night. This left Rose and the Doctor to clean up in the kitchen, and once they were done they settled in on the sofa in front of the telly.

Just as they started and episode of _Top Gear_, Rose decided that enough was enough, and muted it, before turning to the Doctor and waiting until he looked up at her to begin. "Doctor, why didn't you tell me before?"

The Doctor had been hoping beyond hope that this conversation could be avoided, but apparently fate was done being nice to him for now. _Time for Plan B: act dumb and hope some more. _"Didn't tell you what? I'm assuming you're talking about Jack, but I honestly didn't know about that myself. I had wondered what became of him, but the last I knew he had been, well, exterminated. I'm happy to have been wrong, really, and I think Jack will be much more enjoyable to be around now that he has Donna. Honestly, no matter how many times I took him aside and told him you were mine, but he just couldn't resist flirting. I even told him once 'hands off the blonde', and he had the nerve to ask if we could share! That was an obvious no, and I even threatened to toss him into the Vortex, but-"

"You told him that I was yours?"

The Doctor bit down on his tongue, hard, reprimanding himself for the second time that day for letting too much slip. "Well, you see, I was just, erm, trying to dissuade him. Yes, that's it. And, I thought he would end up hurting you, so I convinced him that you were spoken for so that he wouldn't get the chance. It was just made up, see."

One look from Rose told him that she could see right through the lies. And she was less amused than her Majesty, Queen Victoria.

"Oh, fine. Yes, I told him you were mine. I know that at the time it wasn't entirely true-" A pointed throat-clearing from Rose. "Right, I know it was a complete lie, but for me, well. It was… the truest thing I knew." Rose looked up at him with tears in her eyes, not used to the Doctor being so open. She opened her mouth to reply, but instead came a great, big yawn.

The Doctor laughed, and before Rose could say anything, he lifted her up and threw her over his shoulder. She threw a hand over her mouth to muffle her laughing as the Doctor trekked her to her room. "That's it. Time for the flimsy little human girl to go back to sleeping her life away. I guess this will have to continue in the morning." He put her down just as they reached her door, and he gave her a kiss goodnight before going back to the kitchen to make himself a cuppa. He settled down with his tea and watched telly, looking forward to his pink-and-yellow girl coming back. It was worth the wait. It always would be.

* * *

AN: Hey, quick question. Would anyone like to see Jack and Donna become companions, or have them stay home? I'd love to hear you guys' thoughts, but if I don't see anything before I write the next chapter I'm just going to go with what makes me happy. Anywho, I'd love to get your opinions.


	10. Wearing Animal Ears

AN: Bonjour. Well, this writing challenge is officially 33.333333...% over. I find myself both relieved and bummed out. I still have a lot to go, but it's kind of weird seeing how much has been done. A big thank-you to all those that read, reviewed, followed, and/or favorited, especially Truebluetardis and Raineh14 for their reviews. I hope you guys enjoy this one.

DISCLAIMER:  I don't own Doctor Who. It'd be more accurate to say that it owns me, but that's beside the point. Ahem. I do own Ketaaye, but that's seriously not as awesome.

* * *

10ROSE 30-DAY OTP CHALLENGE

DAY 10- Wearing Animal Ears

THEY were at a party. Not just a small, have a few friends over and drink party, but a giant, planet-wide nonstop party. With strobe lights and awful music and _way_ too many people. The Doctor was miserable, stuck in a corner wearing light-up cat ears, trying to ignore the fact that almost every man in the room was looking at his Rose. This was unsuccessful, of course, and he couldn't stop worrying. And it was all Jack's fault.

*~*~EARLIER THAT DAY, AT THE POWELL ESTATE~*~*

"WE'RE sorry, Doc, but we really can't come with. There's a lot of stuff here that needs us, lots of aliens that need to be neutralized- no offense, of course- and Torchwood hasn't been right since the 19TH Century. Thanks for the offer, but it's just not gonna happen. If you ever want to go to a party planet or the 51ST Century, though, sign us up. We'll keep in touch, 'kay?" Jack and Donna made to walk away, but just as they started, Rose looked up at the Doctor with the biggest, saddest eyes imaginable.

"Doctor," she said, stroking his arm a bit and looking up through her eyelashes at him. "Wouldn't it be great if we went to a party or somethin' with them? I mean, if we're not gonna get to see them for a while…"

Now that the Doctor knew what Rose was trying to do, he stepped away and began adamantly shaking his head. "Nope, no, nononono! You don't get to do that, and my answer is no. All of the party planets are awful, they're just loud and bright and all of the people there are, well, loud and bright. The 51ST Century is worse. We're not going, Rose, and that's final." Rose looked up at him one more time, her eyes holding all of the pleading of all of the worlds.

"Ugh. Jack! Donna! Want to go to a party?"

Jack and Donna ran back, smiling like fools. _That was easier than I thought. Rosie must really have him whipped._ "Why, Doctor. I thought you'd never ask."

*~*~BACK TO THE FUTURE~*~*

SO, yeah, totally Jack's fault. Now he was here on Ketaaye in the 51ST Century, drinking punch that was more than likely spiked, trying not to regenerate from the boredom. The lights were blinding, and in all sorts of bright colors, as the immense dance floor was bathed in pink, blue, green, and dozens of other colors, flashing in time to the computer-generated "music" blaring through the giant speakers. Jack and Donna had disappeared almost as soon as they all arrived, which dashed Rose's hopes of spending more time with them. Unfortunately, this opened the door for several men, women, and other alien genders to spend time with her. And he hadn't been able to talk with her for three hours because every time he looked towards her, a hoard of party-goers were flocked around her, all vying for her attention. He hated it. He was able to take courage in the fact that it couldn't get worse.

Just as he finished this though, good ol' Captain Jack sauntered up to him with two drinks and a smile. "Hey, Doc. Have a drink. I was thinking that after you had some alcohol in your system, we could have a little chat about you and Rosie."

Well, it wasn't the first time he'd been wrong. So much for optimism, this was going to be torture.

* * *

ROSE was dancing (big surprise) and she had looked over to where she knew the Doctor was, and noticed Jack go join him with alcohol in hand. Seeing the Doctor take said alcohol and down it in one fell swoop caused her eyes to widen, before she chuckled a bit to herself. _What on _Earth_ could Jack have possibly said? Oh, well. I just hope we don't have to drag him out of here drunk and unconscious._ She continued dancing for a bit, before a familiar red head bounced its way over.

"Hey, Donna. Wotcha?"

The ginger handed the blonde a bright pink drink that bubbled and seemed to glow a bit, before downing a blue concoction of her own. "Tryin' ta get drunk. Anyway, I thought it might be nice for you an' me to have a chat. What do ya say?"

Rose hesitated a bit. She had had a great time getting to know Donna better, but they were still basically strangers. And after their talk yesterday with the Doctor and Jack, she was genuinely afraid that a similar line of inquiry would ensue. _But I trust Jack. And if Jack trusts her, so should I._ She downed her drink the same as Donna, and replied, "I'd love to."

* * *

"SO, Doc. What's the deal with you and Rosie? I mean, last time you and I talked, you were grumpy and possessive, and you had already claimed her. Now I hear that you two just got together a month ago? What gives?"

The Doctor took a deep breath and downed another drink- his tenth since Jack joined him- and replied, "I dunno, Jack. I was just… well, scared. I didn't have any idea about how she felt about me, and I thought that if I told her, she'd want to leave. And I just… I could never lose her. I've lost so much, but losing her would break me." He looked at his empty glass sadly before ordering yet another drink. _God, I wish I could get drunk. Sometimes I really hate being a Time Lord._

Jack blinked in disbelief, in equal parts due to the Doctor not being wasted yet, and the fact that he was actually expressing his emotions. "Doc, don't take this the wrong way, but you're an idiot. Everyone that's seen you two knew from the beginning that you had the hots for each other. How could you _not_ know?"

"I'm sorry, Jack. I had no idea until she told me a week ago. She was having a nightmare, and I tried to help and… she told me. I was shocked." The Doctor shrugged before chugging his fourteenth drink. It was finally starting to affect him, which was why he was being so open.

"Well, while I'm not happy it took you so long, I'm just glad you've told each other, and that you're making progress. How'd Jackie react when she found out?"

The Doctor struggled to think a bit- Jack had been giving him much stronger drinks since he hit five, though he didn't know it, and they were starting to make things a bit fuzzy- before he remembered what had happened when Rose's mum had found them on the couch. "She just said that she knew we'd been together the whole time- not that we were, of course- but she just hugged us and said that we had to come visit more often, and she said something about me being her future son-in-law, but then I said okay and-"

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, 'FUTURE SON-IN-LAW'?" Thankfully, the club was extremely loud, so only the people close by were startled by Jack's outburst.

The Doctor, however, was decidedly close enough, and his eyes widened before he started sipping at his twenty-first drink. This one was bubbly and pink, and a bit luminescent. He couldn't remember what it was called, but he knew that it was the strong drink Jack had ordered him (yes, he finally realized the mix-up). "She said that we especially needed to come by more often if I was going to end up her son-in-law, so I said that'd be great. What's the big deal, Jack?"

"Wh-what's the big deal? You basically insinuated that you'd like to marry Rose. To Jackie flippin' Tyler."

The Doctor shrugged again. "So, I would like to. Not today, but sometime. Preferably soon, if I'm being honest. Can you order me another drink? I want to go see Rose. Rose is great, did you know that. I mean, she saved me in so many ways, and she saved you. She killed a million Daleks, and she loves me. How could I _not_ want to marry her? I might propose. That's what I'll do. Wait, I need a ring for that. Jack 'ave you got a ring I could use?"

Jack blinked in surprise at the Doctor's sudden decision to get married, before moving his half-drunk glass away and stepped closer to the Doctor to stop him from reaching for it. "Well, I do have a ring, but it's for Donna, so no, you can't use it. In fact, I really think you should wait a while for that, Doc. At least until you're sober."

The Doctor sighed and pouted like a child before nodding his head sagely. "Well, I guess you'd know more about it than me, I mean- wait. You've got a ring for Donna?" Jack nodded a bit hesitantly, and the Doctor beamed at him. "That's great, congrats, Jack. Anyway, I bet you're right. I'd just like to go find her to say hey, alright?" The Doctor stood from his barstool, with some help from Jack, and started stumbling towards where he thought Rose and Donna had headed. Jack rolled his eyes, downed his drink, and walked after the Doctor, grumbling a bit as he went.

* * *

"SO, Rose. What's the deal with you and the Doctor? I mean, he said you two fell in love in three days, so why the wait?" Donna and Rose had moved to the bar across the immense room from the Doctor and Jack. _I sure Jack can get some decent information from that Spaceman. Our plan had better work…_

"I dunno, Donna," Rose said, sipping from her (third) drink a bit and sighing. "I honestly didn't think he felt anything for me except for us bein' friends, and I thought that if I told him how I felt that he'd just write me off as a hormonal human and make me go home. It was really better to love him from a distance than to risk losing him completely."

Donna patted her hand sympathetically for a moment before hauling off and smacking her arm. Rose began to tell her off, but was silenced by Donna raising her hand and adopting a "no nonsense" look on her face. "That is the _stupidest_ thing I've ever heard. You've been in love with him for what, a year? Two? And you wasted _all that time_ being 'just friends' because you thought he wouldn't like it? Who cares what he thinks? You need to do what makes _you_ happy, Rose. And with being with that emotionally-retarded twig makes you happy, go for it."

Rose's face had passed from indignation to shame and finally to hope as Donna's unorthodox pep-talk continued. She puffed out her chest a bit, gulped down her drink, and adopted a look of determination. "You know what, Donna? You're right. I love the Doctor, and I'm sick of not knowing what we are and what he thinks. I'm gonna go talk to him right now." She went to stand up, but was stopped by Donna's hand grabbing her slightly sore arm (that woman had a serious slap).

"Now, sweetheart, I'm real glad that you agreed with my talk, but maybe- just maybe- you should wait til you're a _bit_ more sober before you spill your guts to Spaceman, alright?"

Rose nodded, a bit embarrassed, and sat back down. Someone came by with a bunch of light-up, cat-ear headbands, and placed one on Rose's head before being sucked back into the crowd of dancers in the middle of the room.

Donna snorted a bit when the buzzed blonde tried to look at the top of her head. "It suits you. And, come to think of it, I think Spaceman has a pair just like 'em. You two match, isn't that sweet."

Just as she finished her sentence, said matching Spaceman sauntered up (drunkenly staggered) to the ladies. Jack helped Donna off her stool, whispered something in her ear, and they were on the dance floor again in a flash. Rose smiled up at the Doctor, who returned it with a megawatt grin of his own, before sitting in the stool next to Rose's and laughed when it swiveled. Rose giggled, too, but at the Doctor more than the chair.

"Rose," the Doctor began, in a decidedly slurred and dramatic manner. "Did you know… that I just got questioned by Jack… about our relationship? Not mine and his, of course, but ours as in you and me," he finished, gesturing between them sloppily. "I didn't know he cared. It was so sweet. Odd, but sweet. He actually is planning on proposing to that rude ginger girl- ohh, think of that. I, who am rude and not ginger, met a woman who is rude _and_ ginger. Isn't that just the thing?" He stopped for a moment to ponder this momentous new development and grin like an idiot. "Hm. Anyway, what did you and Donna talk about?"

"Well, kind of the same stuff, I guess. She, um, gave me some interesting advice, and I… I think I liked the sound of it." She grinned up at him bashfully and set her drink aside.

"And what advice might that have been, Miss Tyler?" The Doctor grinned at her, his more loving and hopeful.

"Well, uh, she said-" Just as Rose was about to tell him, Jack and Donna stumbled back to them, markedly more inebriated than when they'd left to dance.

"Hey, you two lovebirds. Not that this party isn't fantastic- get it, Doc? Fantastic? Cos you, oh, never mind- but anyway, we were wondering if we could get a lift back to Earth. Donna and I have something we want to tell her family." He looked down at Donna with the biggest smile imaginable, but it disappeared as she kissed him. Rose looked over and saw a sparkle on her left ring finger, and clutched the Doctor's arm as she squealed with joy for their friends. The newly engaged humans parted, and they all made their way back to the TARDIS, with Donna and Rose near fainting over the ring, and the Doctor continuingly congratulating and interrogating Jack on the proposal. Not that he was trying to see what he should do if he were to propose to Rose. Nope. Maybe. Or definitely.

* * *

"THANKS for everything, Doc, Rosie." Jack embraced his fellow time travelers as Donna did the same.

"Remember what I said, Rose. Don't waste any more time," Donna whispered in Rose's ear as they hugged. Rose and the Doctor waved goodbye before they disappeared into the Vortex.

"So, how did your half of the plan go? Did you find anything out?" Jack and Donna joined hands as they walked back to their flat.

"Yeah, actually. The Doc told me why Rose couldn't remember anything about the Bad Wolf, said her mind would burn from it. Wouldn't that be awful, though, having to choose between forgetting something that defined you, or having your mind burn?"

Donna could tell that what happened to Rose had really upset Jack, so she reassured him by squeezing his hand, not used to the weight on her finger that bound them. "It would. But we don't need to worry. Nothing like that's gonna happen to you or me, and the Doctor can sort things out with Rose. Let's just go home, for now, alright?" And so they did, and they were as happy as can be.

* * *

AN: *Rapunzel voice* I am a despicable human being! But I had to reference Journey's End. It just... I could not resist. And I am ashamed.


	11. Wearing Kigurumis

AN: Hi, friends. Well, I got an awesome response to the last chapter. I'm sorry about the Journey's End reference. Anyway, I watched the Pandorica episodes today at a friend's house, and it killed a big chunk of my soul. But it was great, and it helped the flow of ye olde creative juices. Anyway, thanks again to all those that read, reviewed, followed, and/or favorited. Specifically: Truebluetardis, Raineh14, and shoehat101.

DISCLAIMER: I own nary a Doctor Who. I also don't own 2 of the 3 poems here, I just wrote the third one. I don't own Stitch from Lilo and Stitch.

10ROSE 30-DAY OTP CHALLENGE

DAY 11- Wearing Kigurumis

THE Doctor couldn't think. He couldn't open his eyes because of the near unbearable pain in his temples. The ringing in his ears threatened to drive him mad, and the light burnt. He was certain he was about to regenerate, because he was sure he couldn't handle this pain. He was forced to jump from his bed to hurl, thankfully making it to the nearby bathroom first.

He would never drink again.

He lay back down and mentally asked, no _begged _the TARDIS for some pain pills. **_Thief, why would you let Jack get you drunk?_**

The Doctor groaned and sat up to take the pills the TARDIS had materialized for him. "Oh, I don't know. I didn't think I'd actually get drunk. I just… I can't even think." He flopped back down on his pillows and scrunched his eyes shut, begging his body to make the pain stop.

**_Well, you'd better snap out of it soon. Rose is waking up, and she seems like she can actually handle alcohol._**

"Oi! I'm just a bit out of practice with drinking that much. I just haven't done it in this regeneration yet, but now I have, so next time I'll be ready."

**_Riiight. Anyway, you really should be going. And you might want to change before you go see Rose. Not that your, um, _****pajamas****_ aren't extremely flattering._**

The Doctor looked down, confused for a moment, before remembering that he had worn something a bit… different to bed last night. Namely, a Stitch kigurumi. With a hood. What? It was mature. Broadly speaking, anyway. Ahem.

"No, I think I'll just go like this. Whatever medicine you gave me seems to have worked like a miracle, and I think Rose might like the pajamas. Would you mind telling me where she is?"

**_Ugh, are you sure about this? It might not work out how you think it will…_**

"What's gotten into you, old girl? Since when do you care what I wear when I talk to Rose?"

**_Oh, I don't. I just thought you might. I have… a little something planned. She's in the kitchen, by the way._**

"What's gotten into her?" the Doctor mumbled to himself, setting out to find Rose. "And what's wrong with what I'm wearing?"

ROSE woke up feeling wonderful. She had had a wonderful chat with Donna, they'd gotten to celebrate their friends' engagement, and Rose had a new mission with the Doctor. She chose her pajamas last night with special care, wanting to make a bit of an inside joke while showing that she cared about things that mattered to him. Did she feel kind of silly, being a grown adult in a Stitch kigurumi? Of course. But she hoped the Doctor appreciated the sentiment.

**_Good morning, dear. How's your head?_**

Rose was a bit startled at this, still not quite used to having mental conversations with the sentient ship that she called home. Chuckling a bit, she replied, "Besides it being full of spaceship, pretty good."

The lights above her flickered and sparked, not harming her but definitely scaring her. **_Miss Tyler, you remain here only as long as you remain in my good graces. Are you quite certain that you want to push your luck?_**

Rose looked ashamed, much like a child being reprimanded by their mum. "Sorry. Thanks, by the way, for lettin' me stay here. It's great."

**_I suppose I'll forgive you. Now, although you've attempted to wound my pride, my Thief is less favored at this juncture. I know about the conversation you had with the redheaded one. I think you should look at something. Go to the console, and focus on the Post-Its he put all over me._**

Rose was confused, remembering the last time she'd looked at the notes. "But those just look like a bunch of circles. It's uh, Gallifreyan, right? I thought you didn't translate that."

**_Well, I usually don't, as a favor to my Thief. However, there's something on there you should read._**

"But if I read them, it'd be betrayin' his trust. He wrote 'em in Gallifreyan because whatever it is, he doesn't want me to read it. I'm sorry, but I just couldn't."

**_"I see. You may come in now, Thief." _**Rose had been confused when the TARDIS spoke audibly instead of telepathically, but realized the reason when the Doctor walked into the kitchen.

He smiled shyly and rubbed the back of his neck. "Erm, good morning, Rose. I'm sorry about all of that, the TARDIS wouldn't tell me what she was up to and she wouldn't open the door. Sorry."

"Uh, that's okay, Doctor. Any chance you're going to explain what you're wearin'?" Rose smiled at him, trying not to laugh at the Doctor wearing a matching kigurumi to her own.

The Doctor looked down, suddenly embarrassed by it. He turned a bit pink, and suddenly realized why the TARDIS had suggested he change. "Oh, that, yes. Hm, well, I thought it was… cute?"

"You picked an adult-sized onesie that makes you look like Stitch 'because it looks cute'?"

"Y… yessss."

Rose gave him a look that said she didn't believe him. At all.

The Doctor sighed and shook his head a bit, knowing that he'd have to tell the truth. _Why'd I have to choose someone so wonderful that knows me too well?_ "Well, after we watched the film together, and you and I talked, it… didn't upset me anymore. I kind of think of it as our movie now. I know that that's ridiculous, and that it sounds very domestic, but… it's true. So, I guess it's kind of a tribute to… us. Just being us." He looked up at her, and was startled to see tears in her eyes. _I put too much emotion in that. Time to make a joke. FIX IT NOW._ "Ahem. Anyway, what exactly is _your _excuse, Rose Tyler?"

Rose blinked back the happy tears that were threatening to spill. "Well, I thought that maybe after we watched the movie you wouldn't hate it." She gestured to the Stitch hood that currently blocked most of his forehead. "Apparently I was right. I just thought it might be a neat little inside joke, you know?" She shrugged and walked over to him, pulling his hood down over his eyes and laughing.

_Her laugh is so beautiful,_ he thought, trying not to sound like a love-struck teenager. And failing ever so miserably. He laughed with her before righting his hood and pulling her in for a hug. They stood there swaying for a bit before Rose pulled back a bit and broke the friendly silence they'd been in.

"So, why'd the TARDIS ask me to read those Post-Its?"

The Doctor's eyes widened in complete fear, knowing exactly what the TARDIS hoped Rose would read. _Make something up. Don't let her know that they're all sappy love notes. SHE MUST NOT READ THEM. _"Schematics. And lists. Lots of… lists. Lists of schematics, on some of them. Things I need to get for the TARDIS. She probably just wanted you to read them so you could remind me of the parts I need to get. You two have become good friends, haven't you? She seems to trust you a lot. You want tea? Cos I could use some tea." He broke out of their embrace suddenly and started warming the kettle. Rose looked on in utter wonder at the Doctor's antics, wondering why he bothered lying.

"Doctor, why does your spaceship trust me more than you do?"

The Doctor sighed and hung his head. _Sometimes I _really_ wish she didn't know me so well._ "Fine. There are no lists, or schematics, or lists of schematics. If you want to go read them, that'd be alright." He looked up at her and gave her a bashful smile, before motioning to the console room with his head. "Go on. The TARDIS wants you to read them, and… well, so do I."

Rose looked at him hesitantly before heading to the console room.

**_Don't be scared, Rose. You'll like what it says. _**The TARDIS laughed for a moment before adding, **_You can trust me on this._**

Rose rolled her eyes at the TARDIS' joke as she walked into the console room. She looked at several of the Post-Its- and there were dozens- but still saw the circular writing of the Doctor's home. She blinked, and all of them were suddenly in a beautiful script, but this time in English. And they were all love poems and quotes, some that she had seen and heard, and some that were totally new.

_"We were written in the stars, my love, all that separated us, was time, the time it took to read the map which was placed within our hearts, to find our way back to one another."_

_"You are my sun, my moon, and all my stars."_

_"My Wolf will howl at the stars and moon._

_If she never leaves it will be too soon._

_My sweet red Rose burning bright as the sun._

_The Wolf and her Storm that told her to run."_

And there were more, so many more. Some she knew were taken from different poets, and she recognized one as a famous E.E. Cummings love poem. But others she knew could have come from none other than the incredible, impossible man that stood on the other side of the console, watching her carefully and wearing a kigurumi. She began to laugh and cry, not believing that the Doctor had all of these things. She ran up to him and threw her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly.

"So, um, do you… like them?" His voice was soft and uncertain, almost afraid.

Rose pulled back a bit, her eyes full of love and mirth. "No, Doctor, I don't," she said, beaming at him.

His face fell, and he began to pull away, but was stopped by Rose pulling her face to his in a soft kiss. "I love them."

He grinned his megawatt smile, pulling her into another tight embrace. "I'm glad. It was pretty weird writing poetry with E.E. Cummings, but he seemed to like the thought of it. Of course he passed it off as his own without any regard for the fact that _I _wrote it, and I wrote it for you, by the way. I was a bit put off by that, but I guess it's neat that you were able to read it before we met. Our love's a bit timey-wimey, isn't it?"

"It sure is, Doctor. And I wouldn't want it any other way."


	12. Making Out

AN: Hullo! Okay, so this story has met and surpassed 1,000 views, and that makes me so excited. Thank you guys so much, you're awesome. This one is unfortunately less fluffy than the earlier chapters, and has more angst. Just wanted to warn you guys on that before reading it. It's not extremely angsty or anything, just more so than the other chapters. Thanks again (still) to all those that read, reviewed, followed, and/or favorited. Special thanks to Truebluetardis, Raineh14, DragonsAddicted, and cupcaki. I'm happy to announce that I now have 15 reviews, which makes me pretty ridiculously excited. More reviews would certainly not go amiss...*hint hint* but if not, that's cool too.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Doctor Who. I really _really_ wish I did, but alas, I don't. I also don't own "Up", but I'm less saddened by that.

* * *

10ROSE 30-DAY OTP CHALLENGE

DAY 12- Making Out

_"I am the Bad Wolf. I create myself…" She was glowing, glowing gold. No, not glowing. __**Burning.**__ And it hurt. But she had to keep the flame. She had to save him, the Doctor, her Doctor. He needed her. To fight the monsters, and vanquish the demons that haunted. The Bad Wolf was howling, and the Storm saw her fury. _

_"You are tiny. I see your atoms, and I scatter them…" She killed them, for her Doctor. Now, nothing could plague his nightmares and haunt his dreams. She would fight them all and they would be reduced to dust. _

_"I bring life…" She saved him, the poor human that became a good man. She could save so many more. She could save all of them. And she would, for him. She would burn for him._

_"My head…" And burn she did. All that was, is, will be, and could be danced in her head, the pain becoming unbearable. "It's killing me…" She would be burnt to ashes. Just like the would-be Dalek God. _

**_"I think you need a Doctor."_**_ His words were an anchor, pulling her back to herself. She felt his lips on hers, soft but demanding. And she stopped burning. Her Doctor, saving so many. But if the Bad Wolf was no more, who would save him? She needed to keep it, to keep the fire that would be his salvation. She would burn everything and set herself aflame to save him. Her Doctor, forever. They would have their forever…_

* * *

ROSE gasped as she woke up, the remnants of the dream still reverberating in her mind. All of the memories of that day on the Gamestation, where she lost her Doctor, rushed back to her. Being sent home, staring into the heart of the TARDIS, and burning as she saved him. She especially remembered the burning, and it was almost like she could feel it still, her head feeling like it would split. She looked down, trying to find her bearings as her head began to swim, but saw everything was tinged a glowing gold. She tried to yell for the Doctor, but no sound came from her throat. The TARDIS began whirring and humming frantically, and Rose was almost sure she was speaking to her. But she could hear nothing but her thoughts, and there were so many. "Had-been"s, and "will-be"s, and "could-have-been"s swirled through her mind, and it overwhelmed her.

The last scenario she saw before her golden world turned black was standing on a bay in another world, crying at the loss of her Storm.

* * *

_"I am the Bad Wolf. I create myself…" No. How could this happen? No one was meant to see that, to see all of creation in the course of a minute. She would burn, but he had to save her. She had saved him so many times and in so many ways, but he needed to repay that. The Dalek in Utah had known it before him, but now it was time to do anything and everything to save her. To save the woman he loves. _

_"You are tiny. I see your atoms, and I scatter them…" No, she couldn't. He couldn't let her do this. Couldn't let her become a murderer, couldn't let her make his mistakes. It would haunt her. He had to fix it, to fix her. His Rose was burning like the sun, and he had to stop her before she was nothing but ash._

_"I bring life…" Even with the good she could do, it would destroy her. He remembered when they went to Downing Street, the absolute panic he had felt. 'I could save the world, but lose you.' Nothing would be worth losing her. Not one life, not one million lives. _

_"My head…" Oh, no. She felt it. The insanity of it, the overwhelming knowledge of everything, flashing in front of her eyes and burning her alive. "It's killing me…" Never. He would __**never**__ let it happen._

**_"I think you need a Doctor."_**_ He was about to die. But if he died kissing Rose Tyler, absorbing the Time Vortex and saving her, it was worth it. Anything for his pink-and-yellow girl. Even if he burnt in her place…_

* * *

THE Doctor gasped as he woke up, trying to calm the erratic beating of his hearts. He hadn't thought about the Gamestation in such a long time, and feeling the panic of seeing Rose die all over again threatened to break him. He lay back down and took deep breaths, trying to calm down, at least a bit.

**_Doctor, you need to get to Rose's room. Now._**

The Doctor looked up at the ceiling in confusion, not used to the TARDIS sounding so frantic. "What's happened, old girl?"

**_There's no time, Doctor. You need to go NOW._**

The TARDIS' last statement was paired with a shower of sparks descending on the Doctor, shocking him and making him even more afraid. "Alright, alright. Would you just tell me what's going on?"

**_Bad Wolf._**

His eyes widened in shock and alarm, and he ran.

* * *

When she awoke, she felt a cold metal slab instead of the softness of her bed. She heard a beeping somewhere to her left, and there was something pricking her right arm. Opening her eyes, she saw the TARDIS' med lab, and was relieved to see that nothing looked gold. She remembered what happened, but she could no longer see the whole of creation. She looked to her right and saw the Doctor. He was looking at a monitor, and mumbling to himself. She was only able to make out bits of phrases.

"Impossible… mental retaining… burn her mind… save her…"

"Uh, Doctor?"

He rushed to her side, checking her vitals and asker her rapid-fire questions. "Are you alright? Did you sleep well? Are you in any pain? What happened before you lost consciousness? What all do you remember? What did you see?"

Rose pushed his hands away a bit, feeling smothered and slightly panicked. "I'm fine, Doctor. I just remember what happened on the Gamestation, and everything looked gold for a minute. I'm not in any pain, and I don't remember what all I saw before I passed out. Now Doctor, what happened to me?"

The Doctor sighed a frustratedly ran his hands through his hair. "Well, it seems that you mentally retained some of the Time Vortex energy from when you looked into the heart of the TARDIS. Something triggered it, probably your memories, and it automatically launched, kind of like a safety mechanism. It felt your panic and protective nature in the memory and equipped you with what you needed to, well, to save me." He blushed a bit at the end, and looked up at her shyly. "You became the Bad Wolf again because you felt that I was in danger."

He came closer again, and placed his forehead on hers. "And I'm sorry for what I'm about to do, Rose, but I can't watch you burn." His lips were on hers, absorbing energy as his fingers went to her temples. He wiped her memories of her involvement on the Gamestation, and made sure that all remnants of the Time Vortex were gone. She lost consciousness once again, this time from lack of memories instead of a rush of them. He pulled back and placed a kiss to the top of her head. He detached the needle in her arm and turned off all of the machines. He lifted her up bridal-style and carried her to her room. She was able to sleep it off, and all he could do now was wait til she woke up and hope she was going to be okay.

* * *

ROSE woke up that morning with a bit of a headache, but that was okay. She could almost swear that there was something she was forgetting, something very important. And she couldn't make out why she was almost sure she'd had a dream about the Doctor, not as he was now, but before he changed. The more she thought about it, though, the worse her headache got. _Oh, well. I wonder where the Doctor and I are going today._

She got to the console room and saw the Doctor sitting on the jump seat, deep in thought. "Hey, what's up?"

The Doctor jumped up, searching her eyes for… something. He wasn't quite sure what, but he was almost certain it was absent. _I'm so glad it worked. She's going to be okay. She's going to be okay…_ "Oh, you know. Unemployment rates, the ceiling. It's also a delightful Disney film about a man who uses balloons to turn his house into a form of transportation so as to-" He was cut off when Rose laughed and gave him a- rather intense, really- kiss, before she turned around and headed back to her room to get ready for the day.

**_Thank you for helping her, Thief. _**

"Oh, you're welcome, old girl. I just hope she's going to be alright now."

**_So do I, Doctor._**

* * *

AN: Okay, first things first. I'm sorry that I didn't make this chapter about them snogging. I tried to use a different meaning of making out, as in they were trying to make out, or decipher, what was going on with Rose. The plot involving the return of the Bad Wolf will appear later on, so I'm not just going to leave it like this. Just wanted to clear that up real quick.****


	13. Eating Ice Cream

AN: Hewwow. Well, I actually really like this one, and I hope you all do as well. Thank you so much for the support, in the form of reading, reviewing, favoriting, and/or following. Special thanks to Guest, tweetybird91, and Raineh14 for the reviews. Just a heads-up, I didn't just keyboard smash with the alien language. In the code that I designed, A corresponds to Z, B corresponds to Y, and etc. Just saying.

DISCLAIMER: I own Series 2 of Doctor Who on DVD and various bits of merchandise, but I don't actually own the show. *le sigh*. I did come up with the ice cream shop's name (marginally speaking), Ylyyvig and his planet/language, and Paracity.

* * *

10ROSE 30-DAY OTP CHALLENGE

DAY 13- Eating Ice Cream

ALTHOUGH Rose couldn't remember it, yesterday had been a physically and emotionally exhausting day. With the resurfacing of the Bad Wolf… the Doctor shuddered just thinking about it. He decided it was time for them to just have a safe, simple trip. _Maybe she'd like to go see her mum. It's not really my favorite thing to do, but if it makes Rose happy…_

He set the coordinates for London, and went to go tell Rose where they were going. Hopefully she was already awake. He couldn't wait to see her.

His thoughts were interrupted when he felt the TARDIS' tinkling laugh in the back of his mind. "What's got you so amused, old girl?"

**_She has you so domestic, Doctor. And I don't even think that you mind it._**

The Doctor opened his mouth, hoping to deny it, but realized that it was completely and brilliantly true. "You know what," he said, grinning like mad. "I don't mind it a bit." He finished walking to Rose's room with a spring in his step, completely content with having gone soft.

He knocked on her door, and let himself in after a moment's hesitation. "Hello?"

Rose walked out of the bathroom attached to her room, toweling her hair dry. "Good morning. What exciting planet are we visiting today?" She pulled him in for a hug, finding comfort in the double-beating of his hearts.

The Doctor rested his chin on the top of her head, just after he pressed a gentle kiss there. "Oh, we're going to the most exciting planet of all." At Rose's surprised hum, he chuckled a bit and said, "Earth."

Rose pulled back a bit in surprise, believing she'd heard him wrong. "Do you mean New Earth?" He shook his head. "Oh, well what time period? Probably somewhere- or I guess I should say somewhen- we've never been, like… we could go meet Henry XIII. Or… H.G. Wells. Or… oh, I don't know. When are we going?"

"21ST Century London. We're going to see your mum."

Rose pulled back once again, this time with a worried look on her face. She felt the Doctor's forehead for a fever, convinced that he had to be life-threateningly ill to ever willingly go to her mother's. "Uh, Doctor, you hate visiting my mum. You're always afraid that she's gonna slap you again. I always have to beg and plead for ages before you agree. And you just whine the whole way there. What's really going on? Is there another alien at Tesco's? Is it Christmas already? Cos that would mean that there's at least one planned alien invasion. Do you want to regenerate? Like, you want her to smack you to death? Or are you-"

"Rose," the Doctor interrupted, grinning and gently grabbing her shoulders. "Nothings wrong, there are no aliens in London- at least not til I get there-, and I don't plan on regenerating any time soon. I just thought we could use a break from mortal peril, and I thought you'd want to see your mum."

Rose continued to look at him skeptically, but after a moment nodded and continued their hug. "Alright. I would like to see mum, actually. As long as you're sure…"

"I am, Rose. Now, how about you finish getting ready, and I'll go ahead and land us, okay?" Rose nodded, and they shared a quick kiss before parting ways.

* * *

"'It's just gonna be a safe, simple trip' you said. 'We're just gonna go visit your mum for a bit' you said. 'There aren't going to be any _bloody_ aliens' you said!"

"I'm starting to think that you're a bit upset."

"Oh, nah! I just _love_ being forced to run for my life every time I come home. I mean, who needs normal?"

Needless to say, the Doctor and Rose were running. Everything had gone well at first, with them visiting Jackie and even saying hello to Jack and Donna. They'd stayed for a bit, Rose had gotten caught up on all of the gossip in the Estate, and even got to enjoy a home-cooked meal. After their lunch, the Doctor and Rose excused themselves, the Doctor wanting for them to get ice cream before they left. They had found a nice ice cream shop- Droch MacTíre's Ice Cream Emporium- and the Doctor ordered them a banana split. They sat down and enjoyed their dessert, making small talk as they did so. Of course, just when they were halfway done, a giant alien crashed through the window and began trying to eat people.

It was a standard day for them, really, but not entirely pleasant.

The alien began speaking, but the TARDIS wasn't able to translate for some reason, but thankfully the Doctor knew enough of the language to carry out a conversation.

"R DROO VCG BLF ZOO," it bellowed, which translated to an emphatic "I will eat you all!"

"Mld, dsb dlfow vcg dzmg gl wl gszg?," the Doctor replied, meaning "Now, why would you want to do that?"

Surprised at being understood, the wooly purple alien replied in a much meeker manner. "Ls, R qfhg xcm'g urmw zmbgsrmt vohv zugvi R nlevw sviv. Mlgsrmt gzhgvh zh tllw." This, of course, translated to "Oh, I just can't find anything else since I moved here. Nothing tastes as good."

The Doctor nodded in understanding, and replied, "Dvoo, dsb wlm'g vcg gib gluf? Rg'h mlg cfrgv gsv hznv, yfg rg'oo wl," meaning "Well, why don't you try tofu? It's not quite the same, but it'll do."

They took the now kindly alien- Ylyyvig from Kozmvg Mznv- to a nearby shop, purchasing him some tofu. Unfortunately for all involved, Ylyyvig had an allergic reaction to the tofu, and he started his rampage anew. So, the Doctor and Rose ran, which is why Rose was yelling and such.

"Now, Rose, it's hardly _my_ fault. I mean, how was I supposed to know he'd have a reaction to it? I just wanted him to stop eating people."

"Yeah, but why _tofu_?"

"I wanted him to start eating something that wasn't alive. I mean, if I'd given him beef or something, the world would have been out of cows in a flash. If only I could think of something he could- oh! Oh, that's brilliant. Rose, change course. Start sprinting towards the TARDIS and tell her to set course for Paracity, Sitoplan. She'll know where it is, and she'll tell you how to engage the autopilot. I'll meet you in five minutes. Whatever you do, don't slow down, and don't stop, alright?"

Rose looked to him in confusion as he turned around and started running back towards the Kozmvg Mznvzm. "Doctor, what are you doing? You're going the wrong way!"

"Not now Rose, got to lure an alien." He finished making his way back to the giant purple fluff of an alien just as Rose turned a corner and got out of earshot. However, she was able to hear Ylyyvig's bellow of, "VCG DROO ZOO KVIRHS!" ("YOU WILL ALL PERISH!")

Rose made it back to the TARDIS and was able to (almost) accurately relay the Doctor's instructions. She only had to wait a few moments before the Doctor ran in and slammed the door behind him. "Alright, is everything ready? Yeah? Good. Allons-y!" The TARDIS took off, with a bit of difficulty. It was almost as if…

"Doctor, _please_ tell me Ylyyvig isn't strapped, hanging on to, or otherwise attached to the outside of the TARDIS."

The Doctor smiled at her apologetically, which told Rose more than words ever could.

This was going to be a long trip.

* * *

Thankfully, the trip to Paracity only took the normal amount of time, and Ylyyvig was able to frolic about and eat to his heart's content.

"So, Doctor, what makes this the perfect place for him to eat?"

"Well, Rose, this city is full of various parasites. But these parasites, unlike the ones on Earth, give food to their host instead of taking it from them. So, he'll eat a few, be stuffed, and stay that way. Our work here is done." He offered her his arm, and together they walked back to the TARDIS.

The Doctor set the TARDIS to float in the Vortex, and the time-travelers reflected on their latest adventure.

"Hey, Doctor, I was just thinking. Why didn't the TARDIS translate Ylyyvig's language? Is there something wrong?"

The Doctor looked thoughtfully at that, as he'd been wondering the same thing. "You know, I have no idea. Why don't you get ready for bed, and I'll tinker a bit and try to figure out what's going on. I'll meet you in the library in a bit, alright?"

"Okay, Doctor. See you soon."

The Doctor waited until he was sure Rose would be out of earshot before speaking with the TARDIS. "Alright, old girl. What happened? Did your translation matrix burn out again, or were you just being difficult?"

**_Neither. I wanted to make sure Rose would be alright. I saw where you two were headed, Droch MacTíre's. That's an Irish name, Doctor. It means Bad Wolf. I stopped translating so it wouldn't trigger anything for Rose._**

The Doctor's eyes widened in fear, not able to believe that it was all happening again. "Okay, tell Rose nothing of this. Bad Wolf means nothing, it was probably just a continuation of the message from before. Just as a precaution, would you mind getting rid of 'Little Red Riding Hood' from the library? I'll take the movie out of the media room. Please, old girl, help me get rid of those words."

The Doctor and his ship took action, getting rid of anything they could find even remotely involving wolves. If they could do anything about it, the Bad Wolf would never resurface again.

* * *

AN: I'm sorry, I'm so sorry.


	14. Genderswapped

AN: Hi, all. *waves* Nice to see you all again. I'd like to say sorry in advance, I probably won't be able to update Sunday, and possibly not Monday either. We have someone coming over Sunday and then I'm spending the day with my grandmother Monday, and I wouldn't want to ignore them in favor of writing. I wish it were socially acceptable to do so, but alas, it is not. *heavy sigh* Oh, well. Thanks again to all those that read, reviewed, followed, and/or favorited. Special thanks to Rose's Companion, ARoseInWonderland, Tobucus, eruditereader, and Truebluetardis. You guys are all awesome, and I do ever so enjoy feedback. Just as a side note, I envisioned Kierra Knightley as the fem!Doctor, and a British Chris Pine as masc!Rose.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Doctor Who, _Munchkin, Firefly, Serentity, Star Wars, Star Trek, Jumanji, Zathura, Elvis Presley, _and/or_ "Dude Looks Like a Lady"._

* * *

10ROSE 30-DAY OTP CHALLENGE

DAY 14- Genderswapped

"SO, Rose Tyler, what do you think of a TARDIS-bound day? I mean, it is Sunday and we usually don't land on Sundays. We could land on a Sunday sometime, if you wanted to. Just, usually nothing interesting happens on Sundays. Not that our Sundays on the TARDIS aren't interesting; I happen to think they're rather brilliant. I might even say that they're fantastic, but of course I don't have the teeth for that anymore. Speaking of-"

"Doctor. Rambling."

"Right. Want to play a card game? I have a great one: _Star Munchkin;_ came out in 2001, from your planet. It makes fun of some of the best science fiction, including _Star Wars, Star Trek, Firefly, _all sorts." He grinned at that, pleased as punch about the _Firefly _reboot series that would come out in 2052. _Mustn't tell Rose about that one yet, got to save it for a special occasion._ "Anyway, it's a great lot of fun. Have you ever played?" He was already in motion, grabbing the box and pushing Rose towards the library, grinning like mad the whole time.

"Yeah, Mickey and I played once. I think ours was the original, though. He always liked fantasy more than sci-fi."

At the mention of "Mickey-the-Idiot", the Doctor's smile fell briefly. He had really hoped that he could have given Rose a new experience. There was nothing better than the bright smile on her face when they saw something new, even if it was something simple, like a new game. "Well, he obviously has awful taste. Anyway, there's something odd going on with these cards- they're giving off strange amounts of ionic energy and residue. I have no idea what would happen if we played it, but-"

Rose shot him a tongue-in-teeth smile before finishing, "But it's more fun that way?"

"Exactly." He gave her a megawatt smile of his own before leading them into the library and setting up the game. "Alright, so the rules are pretty simple. You start out with six cards- three Doors and three Treasures. Each turn starts when you 'kick open' a door and deal with whatever's inside. If it's a monster, you fight it. If it's a trap, you deal with it. And if it's something else you just follow the instructions on the card. These-" he held up twenty small coins- "will be our 'tokens', indicating our levels. Reach level ten, and you're the winner. Ready to begin?"

"Absolutely." They sat down and drew their cards, sorting it all out and designing their characters. Rose was a level 1 human with a few monsters, "Green Paint" that her character could use for armor, and some usable only once bonuses. She also had a trap that would make the Doctor's character change genders. _That'd be a laugh, and I could make fun of him during the whole game…_ Before she could trap him from the get-go, the Doctor started speaking again.

"Oh, that's brilliant! A 'Bananafanafofaser'! Oh, I've got to use that immediately." The moment that the Doctor put it into play, a strange looking red gun with a fan, satellite dish, big yellow light, and a banana appeared next to him. The smell of batteries filled the air, just like when they went to see the 2012 Olympics. "Oh. So the ionic energy has made itself manifest in the cards, and putting them into play creates the object or creature and makes it real. Kind of like the Isolus, but in reverse. That- that's not good. I mean, there are awful monsters in here, and weird guns, and- and entire spaceships. We should stop playing now before anything serious happens. We should really… really… stop…" He looked up at Rose for a moment before breaking into a giant grin.

Rose looked at him with exasperation and affection. "Right, so you want me to go first?"

"Allons-y, Rose Tyler!"

She rolled her eyes at him before flipping over a door card and reading aloud. "'Trap! Chromosome Switch. If you are male, become female, and vice versa'"… Hold on, if that thing became real," she said, pointing at the Doctor's strange weapon. "Does that mean that I'm gonna-" She was cut off as she felt an extreme unease, worse than any nausea she'd felt before. She stumbled, falling off the couch and curling up in a ball on the floor.

The Doctor jumped up, shaking her shoulder and trying to find out what was wrong. "Rose? Rose, say something. What's going on? What's wrong? Rose?"

It was over in a few moments, and the Doctor's alarmed gasp was the only warning she had that something was, in fact, wrong. Well, when I say "she"…

"Blimey, that hurt. What happened? I was just reading that card and-" the now-male Rose's eyes widened in shock and alarm at the unusual deepness in _his_ voice. "You have _got _to be joking. I'm a _bloke_!"

The Doctor continued to stare at him in shock and confusion, before the insanity of it all struck him and he dissolved into giggles. "I'm s-sorry, Rose. I just- it's hilarious. I mean, you just-" He doubled over, and was fully intent on continuing his incessant laughing when he was silenced by a ridiculously powerful right-hook. The Doctor sputtered for a moment in disbelief. "You- you just punched me in the face!"

Rose- Ross? Masc!Rose? Oh, well- gasped and went over to him, pushing the hair from his forehead and trying to see the damage to his cheek. "Oh, I'm sorry, Doctor. I just meant to give you a slap, I'm not used to bein' a bloke. I guess I have more muscle this way, ya?" Rose just then looked down to realize that her- _his- _clothes had become masculine, too. The _Elvis Presley _t-shirt became longer and looser, in standard male clothing style, and the jeans became less fitted as well. The makeup disappeared, and his hair was much shorter.

"Right, no it's okay. Just… what happened? You look… well, a bit less… female."

"Well, you said that the ionic energy caused things on the cards to come into existence, maybe it works the same with the traps and stuff. Maybe anything on the cards that gets played end up happening for real."

The Doctor nodded distractedly before helping him up and studying the cards again. "Well, I've no idea how it's possible or how to reverse it, but there's no use doing nothing. Let's go ahead and keep playing, and maybe at the end of the game it'll all get reversed."

"Like _Jumanji_?And _Zathura_?"

"Exactly. Now, to end your turn you need to either fight a monster in your hand or draw another door card. Make sure you're down to five cards at the end."

Rose decided to play it safe and draw a card, one that he couldn't use yet. He went ahead and put the "Green Paint" card in play, only realizing his mistake when he got covered in a blast of green paint. The Doctor's laughing began anew, barely even trying to stop. _Oh, dear. I need to get rid of another card, and look at this trap I have here…_

"Here you go Doctor. With that card gone, I'm down to five."

Rose just looked at the Doctor with a smirk as he watched the Doctor calm down a bit so he could read the card. Rose launched into giggles of his own when the Doctor's eyes widened and he read over the card twice, and then once again.

"Is there something wrong, Doctor?" he asked, mirth in his eyes.

The Doctor was unable to reply, however, when he was thrown to the ground in the same way Rose had been, his groan of discomfort becoming increasingly feminine. Rose took pity on him- _her-_ and went to help her up. "Not so funny when it's you, is it?"

"No, I can't say it is. Blimey, if I thought my teeth were different after the Gamestation-" She immediately stopped her sentence when she realized her mistake, not wanting to bring up any unsavory memories for Rose. "Anyway, let's just go ahead and finish the game- and please don't sabotage me this time. That was hurtful, Rose. Cut me to my very core, it did."

Rose rolled her eyes and mumbled something like "already embracing the estrogen, I see" but the Doctor either didn't hear or refused to acknowledge it. They realized that something was very, _very_ wrong when they stood back up and were met with an empty table, no sign of the cards.

"Alright, Rose, you've had your fun. What'd you do with the cards?"

"Oi, what makes you think I had anything to do with it? I was just over there helping you, how could I have hidden them?"

The Doctor looked a bit sheepish at that, a bit ashamed at having automatically accusing Rose. "Sorry. I guess it wasn't you. Well, now that our 'finish the game and reverse the effects' idea is moot, any secondary ideas?"

Rose began thinking it over as he studied the new Doctor. Her hair had grown, and the front wasn't near as sticky-uppy. It about reached her shoulders, and her suit had barely changed, only becoming a bit more fitted. _Wow. The Doctor's even gorgeous as a woman- whoa! No, none of that. It may be the Doctor but no way am I comin' on to him while he's a she. _"Uh, I dunno. What could have happened to make the cards disappear?"

Rose's sudden speaking had interrupted the Doctor's internal war over whether or not it would be wrong to kiss Rose while she was a he. "Huh? Oh, right. Well, if it wasn't you, and it wasn't me, that means the TARDIS has a stowaway, the TARDIS is being rude again, or the ionic energy compacted to allow the cards to self-destruct or transport. My money- if I had money- would be on the TARDIS being rude. She's been a bit mischievous lately."

**_"I'd resent that, Thief, if it weren't for the fact that you were right. I saw you two rushing to play that game, not remembering your last run-in with excess ionic energy, and I couldn't help it. This energy signature is much weaker, so the effects won't be permanent. It should wear off in about 12 hours. Also, your idea to keep playing so that the effects would reverse was not only wrong, but it would have had various alien monsters and items onboard me, which I couldn't allow."_**

The Doctor rolled her eyes, frustrated both at the TARDIS' antics and her inability to formulate a better plan. "Well, looks like we have 12 hours to kill. Media room?"

Rose nodded. "Media room."

*~*~APPROXIMATELY 11.5 HOURS LATER~*~*

THE Doctor and Rose were comfy and content on their couch, in their normal position except for Rose being the human pillow instead of vice versa. They had watched all of _Firefly_, and were getting very close to the end of _Serenity._ Rose had been nodding off since "Ariel", and had been napping on and off since the beginning of _Serenity._ The Doctor was fascinated at the male version of Rose, and had firmly convinced herself that it was not at all creepy to watch him while he slept. Nope. Just gathering data, not being a stalker. Ahem. Anyway, it had been a very nice evening. The TARDIS had been mentally giving her a hard time, though, playing _"Dude Looks Like a Lady" _in her mind just to be rude.

As the credits started to roll, the Doctor felt the same feeling of nausea and unease as she had when they were playing _Munchkin._ Before she knew it, she was a he again, and the change woke Rose up from her nap. She blinked up at her once again male Doctor, a smile on her face. "So, next time we find some game givin' off weird amounts of ionic energy, are we gonna ignore it?"

The Doctor pretended to think very hard about that before smiling down at her. "Oh, what would be the fun of that?"

* * *

AN: Does anyone actually read these author's notes? If so, please review your favorite episode of Doctor Who. Thank you for taking part in my experiment.


	15. In a Different Clothing Style

AN: Hiiii! I'd just like to start this out by saying that I know almost nothing about Gallifreyan culture and/or the childhood of the Doctor, so I just made it up. I like it, though, and I shall love this headcannon til the end of time. Anyway, apparently only five people actually read these things (according to the response to my experiment), which I find hilarious. Thank you so much to those that read, reviewed, followed, and/or favorited. Special thanks to DragonsAddicted, eruditereader, and super special thanks to Rose's Companion for reviewing and giving me suggestions for how to make the story better.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Doctor Who. At all. I just write about it. A lot. :-/

* * *

10ROSE 30-DAY OTP CHALLENGE

DAY 15- In a Different Clothing Style

IT had been exactly 50 years since the Time War. He hadn't yet told Rose how long he'd traveled before coming back on the day they first met. He'd asked her to come with him, she'd said no, and he'd moved on. He traveled through time and space, alone, for decades. The Titanic, JFK's assassination, even the eruption of Krakatoa. All that time, trying to forget, and move on. But after more than 40 years, the loneliness began to set in anew. He went back to just a few seconds after he said goodbye, and asked again. And he'd been so happy. But today, the hollowness of being alone took him. He was hyper-aware of the lack of another presence in his mind. But he was determined to make this a happy time. Well, he was at least determined to be a bit positive. Well, he wouldn't be depressed. At least, not that much…

Anyway, today was to be a day of remembering, not mourning. He went to the wardrobe room, going to a section he hadn't seen in, well, 50 years. It only had two pieces of clothing- matching burgundy robes lined with gold. He had always hoped that somehow he would find another Time Lord to give one to, that he was wrong about being alone and there was someone else in the universe like him. He had long since given up that hope, now more than content to share it with Rose, who had become his best friend and even more. He put on his robe, which still carried the scent of his old home, which was smelled of old books and spice. It also carried with it a slightly burnt smell from the war. He hadn't worn the robe since his last meeting with the Gallifreyan council, and the other hadn't been worn since his mother had been alive. The robes were passed down to him from his parents, and his mother's robe was supposed to go to his wife. He couldn't bring himself to give it to her when the time came; he just didn't feel an emotional connection to her. He could never tell Rose the significance of her wearing this robe, afraid that the commitment of it would frighten her.

He put those bittersweet memories from his mind as he put on his robe, and checked his appearance in the wardrobe mirror before setting out to find Rose.

**_How are you, Thief? I know this must be difficult for you, but it's good that you have her._**

The Doctor gave a small, sad smile to his ship, thankful for her support. "It really is, old girl. I'm glad she's here with me. And I'm glad I have you. How're you holding up? I know I haven't asked lately, and I'm sorry for that."

**_I'm doing rather well, thank you. After you find Rose, I want you to find a room I just added. It's by the library, about five doors down. You'll know it when you see it._**

The Doctor looked up at the ceiling in confusion a bit, before nodding and continuing his search for Rose. "Alright, just as soon as I get Rose, I'll go."

He found her a few minutes later, in the kitchen nursing a cup of tea. She looked up at him with a smile, before noticing his new outfit and bursting into laughter. She choked a bit on the tea she'd been drinking, and it took her a full five minutes to get herself under control.

The Doctor looked down at his robes, only just noticing how strange they must look to her. He looked a bit like a kicked puppy, honestly, and it made Rose feel a bit guilty for laughing. "I'm sorry, Doctor. Um, any particular reason for the costume change?"

The Doctor, now substantially less confident, looked down instead of at Rose, not wanting to see the mirth in her eyes. "Well, it's just… as of today, it's been exactly 50 years since the Time War. I thought it might be nice to remember it a bit by putting this on. It's the last piece of clothing I have from Gallifrey- this is the kind of thing we usually wore. And, um, I kind of… have another one. I just, well, I guess you think it looks silly, so I don't think you'd want to- but if you do I could- just, here." He handed her the robe, this one more of a bright scarlet than the Doctor's rich maroon. She noticed for the first time the swirling gold embroidery, spelling out ancient words of Gallifreyan. Her eyes welled up a bit when she realized what he was trusting her with- a piece of his home.

"Doctor, I'd be honored." She stood and put the robe on over her pajamas, immediately struck by how incredibly soft and warm it was. It felt for all the world like she was wearing a hug from the Doctor; it even smelled like him, but with a bit of fire. It made her feel different; it felt like she was home. "You know, I was wrong to laugh. This thing is _amazing."_

The Doctor laughed a bit at that, happy that she didn't think of it as ridiculous anymore. "I'm glad you like it. It was actually my mother's, a long time ago." His face got a bit sad at that, remembering all of those that were lost in the War. He brightened up again almost immediately, though Rose could tell it was a bit forced. "Anyway, there was something the TARDIS wanted us to see. She added a new room at some point, and she said she'd like for us to take a look. Allons-y?" He offered her his arm, and together they made their way towards the library. Sure enough, the Doctor noticed something odd about the fifth door down. It was made of a dark brown wood that had a reddish cast to it, and engraved on it were several Gallifreyan words, the swirls and lines catching the light on the glossy dark wood. Even though it wasn't translated, it was his native language, and he knew that it said "In Memory of the Fallen Planet".

He took a shaky breath before opening the door, and his eyes started watering the moment he did. The TARDIS had made a bigger-on-the-inside room that perfectly replicated a lanscape on Gallifrey, and there was even a soft breeze blowing through the crimson grass and making a tinkling noise when it blew through the silver-leafed trees. In the distance, the Doctor could just make out the snow-capped mountains, and two suns shone down in the burnt orange sky. He let go of Rose's hand and squatted down to run his hand of the grass, almost afraid that it would disappear. It felt just how he remembered it from his childhood, and he broke into a huge grin before standing again and pulling Rose into a bone-crushing hug. He began to laugh, the extreme joy nearly overwhelming him. He swung Rose around for a moment before setting her back down and running down the hill. Everywhere around them were hills, silver forests, and mountains, the beautiful reds, scarlets, and crimsons swirling around them like the language of the planet itself. He stumbled a bit, causing him to fall and roll down the hill. He never stopped laughing though, and Rose began to worry for his mental health.

He finally reached the bottom, and stood before pulling Rose to him once again and dancing with her in the meadow. "TARDIS, when did you do this? And how? Just- oh, old girl, it's perfect!"

The TARDIS' tinkling laughter echoed that of the nearby trees, and he felt her joy and amusement brush his mind before she replied. **_"I've been working on it for quite some time, actually. It's why we've had to stop by Cardiff so often for the past few months. It took a lot of power, but I think it was worth it."_**

"Thank you. Thank you so much!"

**_"Of course."_**

The Doctor and Rose continued to look around for a while, with the Doctor telling her various stories of Gallifrey and its people. Rose was entranced, loving the fact that the Doctor was sharing information about his past. Usually, it took a near-death experience for him to tell her anything, but now he told her hundreds of years worth of history. His bright smile never left his face, only growing as he continued sharing with her the wonders of his home world.

"…And that was why everyday after school, my parents would take me for a walk in the forest next to my… house…" He trailed off a bit at the end of this story, only barely noticing the small cottage a little ways away. It was made of light stones, with a light brown roof, door, and shutters. Soft red ivy grew up the sides of the house, making it look more rustic and lived-in. He recognized it immediately, and squeezed Rose's hand before breaking into a run. They reached the front door, and he wasted no time opening it. Directly inside were a living area and an alcove holding the small kitchen. There was sparse furniture made of the same dark wood from the door of the TARDIS' room. Over to the right were a few doors, which led to the Doctor and his parents' bedrooms and a restroom.

The Doctor was momentarily overwhelmed by the memories of once again being in his childhood home, remembering the night before he had to leave for the academy. He was different in that he was one of the rare Gallifreyans born naturally instead of fabricated on one of the looms. His parents truly loved each other, and they loved him. Many of the more snobbish Time Lords said that this contributed to him being a daydreamer, and that he was wrong for being more in-touch with his emotional side. He disagreed, saying that it was actually beneficial, but no one listened to him. Anyway, he had been immensely nervous about leaving home, and so his parents stayed with him and talked to him for the whole night. His father told him some of the faerie tales from different planets, like of the Toclafane and a time when Time Lords helped others in the universe instead of merely standing by and watching everything descend into chaos. His mother sang him lullabies she had been sung as a child. It had helped calm him, and his parents promised to come visit him at the academy. Even now, it was one of his happiest memories.

He told Rose this story and several others, not noticing how long they'd been there until Rose started yawning. They made their way back to the main part of the TARDIS, and said their goodnights. The Doctor was extremely happy to realize that she hadn't returned the robe, and he hoped that one day he could explain to her the significance of them wearing his parents' robes. He wasn't quite sure, but he thought maybe she'd like to know that they were essentially betrothed.

* * *

AN: I'm sorry. I regret nothing. Also, if anyone has ideas/prompts for this story or any others, pretty please with a Raxacoricolfallapitorian on top let me know about it, either via review or PM. I'm especially lost on day 18's prompt, since there are essentially limitless possibilities. If you actually read this, please include your OTP's name in a review.


	16. During Their Morning Rituals

AN: I'M SO SORRY! I pinkie promise that I have neither forgotten nor forsaken you, but real life got in the way of fanfic life for a few days. As I said, Sunday we had company over and then Monday I went to my grandmother's, but I ended up being with her Tuesday as well, and then my father and I went out of town yesterday. On a better note, I have almost all of chapter 23 written, and I have almost all of the chapters planned out, so I have not been entirely idle. I really am sorry, and I don't think anything else is going to come up that will make me miss posting. Many thanks to the readers, reviewers, followers, and favoriters. Special thanks to Raineh14, eruditereader, Hope, and Rose's Companion for reviewing. Super duper special thanks to DragonsAddicted for the prompts.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Doctor Who, not even in part. I also don't own "The Time Machine" by H.G. Wells, but if I had to pick I'd rather own Doctor Who. But I don't. So ya.

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10ROSE 30-DAY OTP CHALLENGE

DAY 16- During Their Morning Rituals

THE Doctor woke up the next morning feeling lighter and happier than he had in half a century. He had an amazing new room in the TARDIS, the best fiancé anyone could ever ask for, and the opportunity to repay Rose for all the happiness she had brought him. He looked over at the clock, but he already knew the time: 3:15 A.M. Earth Standard Time, same as everyday. He stretched a bit before changing into his trademark brown pinstripes, choosing the swirly tie Rose had bought him. He hoped she'd like it, because he hoped to take her on a special trip today. Then again, that was kind of his hope everyday, but he wanted to put forth a special effort today.

He went to the kitchen like he did every morning, and made himself an early morning cuppa. He fixed it up with a splash of milk and six sugars (Rose was convinced he was going to get diabetes) and went to enjoy it in the library. He sat down with an old favorite- "The Time Machine" by H.G. Wells- and relaxed for a bit. After he had read it one and a half times, he looked up at the clock to see that it was about 7 A.M. He set the book down, not bothering with a bookmark. He'd read it so many times, but he still knew exactly where he left off.

He returned to the kitchen and set to work making breakfast for him and Rose. This had become a tradition since a bit after he regenerated, and she seemed to like the domesticity of it. He did too, but his pride stopped him from saying so. He started gathering ingredients for the banana pancake batter, but stilled and walked out of the kitchen when he realized he had forgotten one of the most important parts of his morning. He had to talk to a very special girl.

* * *

"ALRIGHT, TARDIS-of-mine," the Doctor said, clapping his hands together. "Today, we have a very special mission: making Rose the happiest human being in all of time and space. I know that it's gonna be hard to top last week's adventures, but we have to go above and beyond this time."

The TARDIS gave her equivalent of an exasperated sigh, finding the Doctor's near daily pep talks tiresome after hundreds of years. **_Would this have anything to do with the fact that she's now your fiancé, even though you haven't informed her of that yet?_**

The Doctor sputtered for a bit, not used to the TARDIS knowing exactly what was going on in his mind. Well, he was used to it, but he didn't particularly enjoy it. She had a tendency to be a real smart aleck when she had leverage. "Well, yes, actually. Any ideas on how I should tell her?"

**_Now, I may not be an expert, but I think most people ask _****before****_ they get engaged. That way it's more like a relationship and less like a stalkership. _**

The Doctor sighed a bit dejectedly and awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, ya I suppose that's how _boring_ people might do it, but Rose and I are above all of that. It's perfectly alright that only one of us knows that we're engaged. Nothing wrong with it. Now, back to the point," and here he went back to being cheery and hyper like always. "We need to take Rose somewhere brilliant. Where do you think?"

**_I thought you didn't like to go anywhere on Sundays…_**

The Doctor looked in a bit of shock at the main monitor, which said that it was, in fact, an Earth Sunday (relatively speaking, of course. Wibbly wobbly and all that). "Huh, I guess you're right. Well, any ideas for what we could do today?"

The TARDIS gave her equivalent of an annoyed sigh before once again addressing her Doctor. **_Thief, since when did I become your activity planner? I mean, first you ask me to take you two on your first date, and now you want my advice on how you should propose? I don't remember signing up for this. _**

"You're right, old girl. I'm sorry. I just- I don't want to mess things up with her."

**_I know. Now, why don't you go finish breakfast? Wouldn't want to mess up your schedule, would you?_**

The Doctor saw that it was already 8:06, and hurried back to the kitchen. "No, wouldn't want that at all."

* * *

ROSE woke up that morning feeling wonderful. The Doctor had actually opened up about his past, and her dreams were filled with orange skies and silver trees. She felt lighter and happier than she thought possible, and it only added to her happiness when she realized that it was Sunday. It was just going to be her and the Doctor in the TARDIS today.

Though she was in no way a morning person, she got out of bed with less grumbling than usual when the Doctor called out "BRRRRRREAKFAST TIME!" from the kitchen. Looking at her clock, she saw the time was 8:30 on the dot, same as every morning. They had a wonderful routine set up, though neither of them really remembered officially establishing it. She got up and put her light pink dressing gown over her pajamas, and made her way to the kitchen.

Upon her arrival, she was greeted by the now-familiar sight of the Doctor wearing his suit sans jacket, the sleeves of his shirt rolled up to the elbows, and a "Kiss the Cook" apron over it. She took the printed advice, mumbling a soft "Good morning" before taking her spot at the kitchen table.

The Doctor chuckled a bit, now used to Rose's morning mood. "So, did you sleep well?"

The Doctor laughed a bit when Rose only gave a hum of affirmation. "Well, at least you're making noises this morning. Remember last week when you fell asleep at the table? That was hilarious." His laughing was immediately silenced and replaced by an awkward throat clearing when Rose gave him an icy glare. "Ahem. Anyway, what would you like to do today? The world is our proverbial oyster." He smiled at her gently and transferred the anatomically-correct-heart-shaped-pancake onto her plate. He then started making his own circular pancake as Rose got up to make tea.

They sat and enjoyed their breakfast, making small talk and just enjoying each other's company. They teamed up to do the dishes, and after everything was clean and put away, Rose went back to her room to shower and get ready.

With another wonderful morning like this, it was sure to be a wonderful day.


	17. Spooning

AN: Howdy, guys! Well, here this is. I'd like to thank you guys for staying with me through my unintentional hiatus, and I hope you guys like this chapter. I got inspiration for the planet and its marriage process from the Firefly episode "Our Mrs. Reynolds", so ya. Big thank-you to all the readers, reviewers, followers, and favoriters, especially Truebluetardis and TARDI5 for the reviews.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Doctor Who, it pretty much owns me at this point. I also don't own Firefly, though it isn't directly referenced. I did come up with Saphrona, but I'd be willing to share.

* * *

10ROSE 30-DAY OTP CHALLENGE

DAY 17- Spooning

_HMM. This feels rather nice…_ The first thing the Doctor was aware when he woke up was warmth. There was something soft and good-smelling and incredibly _warm_ smooshed up against the front of his body. He felt the tickle of hair on his nose and mouth, and he heard soft snoring._ Huh, that's kind of like how Rose snores when she's having a nice dream…_ His eyes snapped open immediately, wide with shock and a bit of fear. The first thing he was her golden hair, and he was able to gently lift his head to see her better. She was wearing a t-shirt and a pair of flannel pajama pants, covered in bananas, and he couldn't help but smile. He had bought them for her as a joke a couple months ago, but she'd loved them and worn them more than any of the pajamas she'd packed from home. _So, Rose is in my bed. We're… horizontal hugging. And I have no idea how she got here. Well, this is an interesting morning…_

*~*~THE PREVIOUS EVENING~*~*

The Doctor and Rose stumbled into the TARDIS, not at all injured, but tired and a bit tipsy. They had been confronted by an alien cult that was trying to find sacrifices for their god. Their god was, strangely, Mulch. Mulch the proper noun, as in the main deity of the Plamadon system, not the wood chips. Rose made the colossal mistake of saying that on her home planet mulch was used for gardening, and this made the time travelers #1 on the potential sacrifice list. The Doctor was able to bust them out, thankfully, but they weren't able to save one of the other "chosen ones". The Doctor shut the cult down soon after they freed the others, but the one that they couldn't save was definitely going to stay in the Doctor's mind longer. After all was said and done, and the local authorities dealt with the cult members, the Doctor took it upon himself to inform the man's family that he wasn't coming home. They took it remarkably well, and even took the lead in organizing a festival in the Doctor and Rose's honor. Apparently the cult members had been a dangerous public menace for years, but no one had had the courage to stand up to them before.

The Doctor felt too guilty at first, but Rose was able to convince him to enjoy himself a bit. He had saved dozens of lives today, and because of him hundreds of people would be able to live without fear of being sacrificed. The festivities lasted several hours, and the Doctor and Rose had even gotten married. They didn't mean to, of course, but the Doctor forgot for a moment that drinking from the same cup and dancing together constituted marriage on the rural planet. He remembered when several people came up to him and congratulated him, but he thought it might be best if he didn't tell Rose. Wouldn't want to worry her, seeing as how the marriage was only binding on that planet. Not that he was disappointed about that, because he wasn't. At least, not that much…

Anyway, after dancing and drinking and partying for a while, the Doctor and Rose decided it was time to leave the kind planet of Saphrona. But the drinks that they have on the planet were a bit stout, hence the stumbling. Rose went to go shower and get ready for bed, and the Doctor went to his room to do the same. Naturally, the Doctor was ready much sooner than Rose, and he decided to just lie down for a few minutes before going out to say goodnight. Just a few minutes… Just… a… few…

* * *

ROSE had barely been able to stay standing while she got ready. She even dozed a bit in the shower, but she was ready for bed soon enough. She put on her favorite pajamas and went to her room. Her eyes were barely even open, and the TARDIS' lights were dimmer than usual. The door to her room seemed… different, in a way, but she wasn't paying very close attention. She stumbled in, automatically stepping over things she knew were scattered all over the floor. She made it to her bed in record time, but when she lifted the covers they felt a bit different. She paid it no mind, thinking that the TARDIS was just changing the interior decorating again. Her mattress felt different as well when she lay down, but she again just thought the TARDIS was renovating. She was out in less than five minutes, and the last thing she felt before she fell asleep was something pressing up against the back of her body, and two arms snaking around to hold her. They felt really familiar…

*~*~BACK IN LE PRESENT~*~*

SHE wasn't waking up. That wasn't all that surprising, seeing as how she had only been sleeping a few hours and he hadn't been moving around too much. He did wonder what she was dreaming about, though. Maybe if he just… No. It would be wrong of him to look at her thoughts just to satisfy his own curiosity. Besides, she often mumbled a bit when she was dreaming, and at the very least he could ask her when she woke up.

When she woke up.

Oh, dear.

See, they had never shared a bed, they had only just made their relationship romantic, and he had never had the incredible joy of waking up with her in his arms. But, while it was definitely one of the best sensations he'd ever experienced, he had no idea how she would react. Would she be happy, and would this become a normal thing? Would she be angry at him, or repulsed? Well, it was really no use worrying now.

…

Yep, he was panicking. There was no way around it, the unknown was killing him. He used his advanced sense of time and knew that it was about 8 a.m. Strange, he hadn't slept a full eight hours in a long time. He unintentionally held her tighter at that thought, and she stirred a bit.

"Doctor, no you can't eat the cotton candy. It has feelings, too…"

The Doctor tried his best not to laugh, wondering if Rose was dreaming about the funfair they went to a while back. There had been an electromagnetic wave broadcasted that caused the machinery to put emotion into the snacks. They learned that the hard way when the Doctor ate some candy floss that screamed about melting. They hadn't eaten mechanically-produced snacks for a month after that.

The Doctor snuggled closer to her, deciding to push his luck a bit. She smiled a bit and squeezed back, though she still didn't wake up. The Doctor smiled a dopey grin, not believing that he ever doubted that she wouldn't be happy. And it was good that he'd made his peace with that, because a few moments later her eyes fluttered open and she dazedly looked at her surroundings in confusion.

"Wh-wha? Doctah…"

She turned around until she was facing the Doctor, and looked at him shyly. "Hey."

He chuckled a bit at that and kissed her forehead. "Hey. How'd you sleep?"

"I slept great. You make an excellent teddy bear. Had the weirdest dream, though. You ate some candy floss and it started reciting 'Hamlet'. You kept eatin' it anyway, and I yelled at you to quit. You didn't listen, though." They laughed a bit at that, before her timidity resurfaced. "Um, I'm sorry for comin' in here, though. I dunno what happened. I could have sworn this was my room…"

**_"Er, about that…"_**

The Doctor groaned good-naturedly, and chuckled a bit more. "TARDIS, dear, did you rearrange our rooms so Rose would end up in here?" He sent a mental _Thank you! _to his ship. It was wrong of her, but he had slept wonderfully and waking up with Rose was the best thing he'd ever gotten to do.

**_"It's… possible that I renovated a bit. Don't act like you aren't happy about it, though."_**

"Oh, no. I'm extremely happy about it." He smiled gently down to Rose, who blushed a bit but smiled as well.

She buried her face into his chest a bit and hugged him before adding, "I'm pretty happy about it, too."

* * *

AN: Just a side note, I've wanted Rose to say "Doctah" since the beginning. I've been waiting for the perfect opportunity, and I was really happy to include it. This is in no way important, I just wanted to say that I'm excited. Yippee!


	18. Doing Something Together

AN: Hey, all. I'm so sorry about yesterday, but my parents and I spent most of the day working on stuff for our house, and then I had a panic attack and just kind of gave up on life for the day. This one is ridiculously long so as to begin to make up for that, so I hope I'm forgiven. My Dad was wonderful enough to give me the general idea of them doing things _together_, so he gets brownie points for that. Big thank-you to all of those that read, reviewed, favorited, and/or followed, especially Truebluetardis, Raineh14, and DragonsAddicted (I'm glad you're excited, by the way). Special big thank-you to Rose's Companion and cupcaki for the suggestions and constructive criticism, and I'll try to make improvements ASAP.

DISCLAIMER: If you recognize it, it's not mine.

* * *

10ROSE 30-DAY OTP CHALLENGE

DAY 18- Doing Something Together

"SO, handcuffs."

"Yep."

The Doctor and Rose looked at each other for a moment, before Rose's eyes drifted back down to their hands, which were not only joined but cuffed together. "And how long are they gonna be there?"

"Oh," the Doctor began, using his free hand to awkwardly rub the back of his neck. "About… eight hours? Possibly nine. Not too long, thankfully."

"'Thankfully'?" Rose asked, grinning a bit.

The Doctor's eyes widened in alarm, fearing he'd offended her. _She still has one hand free that she can use to slap…_ "Nononono! I didn't mean it like that! Just, I thought you'd think it was a bit much, being attached and all. I don't really mind it all that much, just… might get a bit uncomfortable."

"Why would it get uncomfortable?"

The Doctor looked down and mumbled something she couldn't quite make out, though it sounded distinctly like "restroom." She just rolled her eyes at him before making a broad gesture to the console. "So, how can I help with that?"

He looked at her in confusion, so she elaborated. "Well, it might be kind of hard for you to fly the TARDIS with just one hand, and I was wondering if there was anything I could do to help."

He beamed at her before leading her to the console and giving her a crash course on some of the controls. "Alright, where are we headed? We still haven't gone to Barcelona, might want to try there. I'd suggest going to Conserva 10-V, but they can get a bit touchy about PDA, even with hand-holding. That just wouldn't do. Don't want to get arrested twice in one day, do we?" He laughed a bit at that, but his face turned decidedly uncomfortable at the icy glare that Rose sent his way. "Right. Sorry again about that. Anyway, where do you want to go?" His smile returned, and he squeezed her hand as he waited to set the coordinates.

"Well, you said that after we finished up on Tri- Triso-"

"Trisoloptopolis."

"Ta. You said that after we finished up there we could go visit my mum…"

The Doctor's face turned fearful, and he mentally prepared himself to begin whining. Just as he opened his mouth to do so, however- "And don't even think about tryin' to get out of it, Doctor. You promised and you owe me."- well, so much for that.

The Doctor sighed deeply before agreeing and showing Rose her half of the flying sequence. The landing was a bit bumpier than usual, not that it had anything to do with her flying, of course. Nothing like that. Ahem, anyway, but they only dissolved into giggles as they were both forcefully thrown to the floor a few meters from the console. They got themselves under control in a few minutes, and the Doctor went to stand before remembering that he was rather attached to his companion. _Guess we'll need to do things together, then._ He tried again, this time pulling Rose up with him. They kept their hands latched, and stepped out into 21ST Century London.

The trip to the Powell Estate was short and uneventful, and in no time Rose was using her empty hand to unlock her mum's flat. Jackie opened the door moments later, immediately gushing over them and pulling them into the flat. When she went to hug her daughter, she was confused as to why her hand never left the Doctor's. She huffed in annoyance before addressing her daughter's alien. "Oh, can't you let go of her hand for five minutes? I promise I'll give it back."

The Doctor looked at Jackie a bit awkwardly before using his unattached hand to their handcuffs, adding in an apologetic smile for good measure.

Rose pulled back from her mother, who rolled her eyes in good humor before heading further into the flat. "Doctor, is that really necessary? It's not like she's gonna run away. You don't have to keep her attached."

Rose laughed when the Doctor's expression became like that of a kicked puppy. "No, Mum, it's not like that. We were on this planet and the Doctor did somethin' stupid and-"

"Now, Rose, it's not entirely my fault-"

"Sh, yes it is. Anyway, we got arrested and the police officers kind of handcuffed us together, but they lost the stupid key so we're stuck for at least eight hours." The Doctor looked a bit fearfully at Jackie, worried he'd get a slap for getting her daughter in trouble.

Jackie just laughed, however, and set to work on making the three of them tea. "How on Earth did he manage to do that?"

Rose smiled up at the Doctor before turning back to her mother and beginning their tale of misadventure. "Well, it all started this morning…"

*~*~EARLY THAT MORNING~*~*

"WELL, Rose Tyler, what do you think of going to Muedolosphila today? It's a lovely little planet on the outskirts of the Snoyet system. Remember that apple grass we rested on on New Earth? Well, Trisoloptopolis has something similar, but it smells like bananas! Almost as impressive as you lot with your edible ball bearings. Anyway, it's a gorgeous little place, very nice and peaceful. Shouldn't run into any trouble. They have these flowers there, and the pollen comes out looking like fireworks. One of the most beautiful things I've seen traveling. We should probably aim for, ooh, 7TH Century? Maybe 8TH, if you want to see some more humans. That is, 8TH Century for them, not you. No, for you lot it'd be somewhere around 7063, when it first started being colonized. Anyway, want to go?" The Doctor stopped his rambling only to look up at Rose, who was looking at him like she was in a daze. The Doctor grinned at her, knowing he'd lost her somewhere along the way. "And the last thing you heard me say was…?"

She looked up at him shyly and a bit guiltily before replying, "I got distracted trying to remember the name of the planet, so I missed most of that."

The Doctor rolled his eyes at her good-naturedly, and began setting the coordinates and flying the TARDIS. "In that case, Rose-of mine, I have made the executive decision to take us there anyway. I think you'll love it." After they'd landed- and been thrown to the ground- they latched their hands before stepping out into a busy marketplace, with hovercars filling the sky and adding more pollution to the already smoggy air. Humans and various aliens were buying and selling all sorts of goods on the crowded streets. It looked all-in-all grungy.

"Thought you said it was peaceful and banana-scented."

"Thought _you_ said you hadn't been paying attention."

"Touché."

With that settled, they shut and locked the TARDIS before stepping further into the bustling street. "I might have missed a bit. This is the planet Trisoloptopolis, which is known for being fast-paced and dirty. You can find almost anything here, although most of it is illegally imported. It wasn't naturally inhabited, but as several planets began reaching carrying capacity, a group of scientists from all over began seeing how they could begin to terra-form some uninhabited planets in this system. This is around Earth's 72ND Century, so humans have been here for, oh, about six centuries? Something like that, anyway. But it's known throughout at least eleven galaxies for being like a giant, planet-sized swap meet. Not many people wanted to move here in the beginning, and the governments had to deal with quite a few squatters. They set up its economy, though, and it became a really popular tourist stop. Not where we were intending to go, but still. Allons-y and all that, eh?"

"So, you basically took me to a great big shopping center."

"Yep."

Rose looked up at her Doctor with her signature tongue-in-teeth smile. "Oh, Doctor, you really _do_ love me."

He laughed with her before throwing his arm around her shoulders and kissing the top of her head. "That I do, Rose Tyler."

* * *

"WHY is it that whenever we go somewhere nice you always _mess it up_?!"

They were running. Again. Almost more like still. It wasn't like they ever really stopped.

See, after they started shopping, the Doctor decided that it would be good of him to correct _every single vender_ that they passed, telling them the best ways to make profit, what they should and shouldn't sell at certain times of the year, and how they can avoid extra taxes put in by the government. Unfortunately, a police officer was right next to them when he gave _that_ bit of advice, and they were promptly informed that they were being arrested for advising illegal activity. The Doctor grabbed Rose's hand once again, and they began sprinting through the streets of the marketplace so as to avoid incarceration. Which was why Rose was currently yelling at him as they ran.

"I wasn't exactly trying to, you know."

"Yeah. If you were trying you'd probably get us arrested on the wrong planet instead."

The Doctor just rolled his eyes and picked up the pace, trying to outpace the law enforcement officer that was currently speeding towards them on a hoverbike.

"STOP! IN THE NAME OF THE JUSTICE SYSTEM OF TRISOLOPTOPOLIS!"

Unfortunately, said law enforcement officer called in backup at some point, and the Doctor and Rose were trapped. They raised their hands in surrender, and before the Doctor could say anything about it all being a misunderstanding they were handcuffed to each other, her right wrist attached to his left.

The Doctor was able to talk them out of it in minutes, and the officers even apologized to them and offered to buy them lunch. They politely declined, explaining that they needed to be getting home. The officers informed them that they'd have to get back to the station first so as to unlock the handcuffs.

"Well, this is a first," Rose started as they began their stroll to the police station.

"Yep."

They walked in silence for a bit before Rose heaved a sigh. "Doctor, I'm sorry. I know you don't mean to get us into these situations, and I shouldn't have yelled at you. Or insulted your drivin'. I'm sorry."

The Doctor just smiled and kissed the top of her head before pulling her closer. "I know. It's fine. I mean, you may have bruised my pride a bit, but other than that there was really no harm done." He bumped her shoulder with his, smiling down at her. "I'm sorry that I got us arrested." He paused for a moment. "Again. Anyway, how about I make it up to you? You pick where we go next. How about that?"

She pretended to think over his offer before smiling back. "Alright. How about after this we go visit my mum. Oh, and we can see Jack and Donna, too. Wouldn't that be great?"

_If we go back, I can ask Jack how to break it to Rose that we're engaged. I can get his advice and maybe even work up the courage to tell Jackie… _"I think that sounds brilliant, Rose Tyler. Absolutely top banana." She looked at him strangely, knowing that he hardly ever looked forward to going to her mother's. She shrugged a bit and kept walking, though, and they wore matching smiles the whole time.

But, seeing as how it was the Doctor and Rose, nothing could stay happy and positive for very long, and their plot twist was revealed upon their arrival at the station. Apparently there had been quite a few rebellious citizens lately that tried to thwart the justice system, and lately they'd been resorting to petty theft. Namely, of the keys to the electromagnetically locked handcuffs.

"Well, it's going to be alright, Ambassador," the officer that started it all began. And, yes, the Doctor had used his psychic paper to convince the officers that he was actually an Ambassador from Raxacoricofallapatorious. Thankfully they had no knowledge of that planet yet. "Those handcuffs are set to automatically unlock after 10 hours, and it's already been about 30 minutes, so it won't be too awfully long until you're free. Is there anything we can do for you in the meantime?"

Before the Doctor could reply, however, Rose stepped in. "Oh, that won't be necessary. Mr. Passameer-Day and I are needed back on Raxacoricofallapatorious and we wouldn't want to keep the Slitheen Parliament waitin', would we _Ambassador_?"

"Oh, yes. Wouldn't want that. Ta for everything, gentlemen. You don't mind if we keep these, do you? Course you don't. Anyway, got to go, sorry to dash, but bye."

They ran once again, this time more in an effort to quickly get home to the TARDIS instead of to avoid getting arrested.

*~*~END OF FLASHBACK~*~*

"SO, ya. The Doctor got us arrested cos of his gob. Again."

Jackie had been laughing off and on since she heard that the Doctor had gotten the time and place wrong again, but she was in hysterics when Rose informed her of the alias the psychic paper had made for him. "I'm s-sorry, sweetheart," she gasped out between her laughing. "I just c-can't help but imagine that alien of yours as a b-big green _thing!_" She began howling with laughter in earnest once again, and Rose joined in. The Doctor huffed and looked away, his pride obviously wounded once again.

"Well, Rose, as fun as this _wasn't_, don't you think it would be best if we got back to the TARDIS now?"

"Nooo. This is my 'Rose-I'm-sorry-I-got-us-arrested-again' present, and I'm not leavin' til I have a proper meal with my mum and see Jack and Donna."

"Oh! That reminds me," Jackie suddenly added. "They're gettin' married tomorrow."

"Really? Last time the Doctor and I were here they'd only just gotten engaged."

"Well, ya, sweetheart. That was seven months ago."

Rose looked pointedly at the Doctor, who had assured her that it had only been a month and a half since the last time they were there. "Oh? Wow. How time flies, right?"

"I 'spose. Anyway, they're not havin' any kind of big what-to-do, just a little ceremony outside with some friends and family. 'Sposed to be a nice little outdoor thing under the stars. I have the invitation, and they made sure to ask me to let you two know." She got up to go fetch the invite, and Rose used her free hand to smack the Doctor on the shoulder.

"Oi! What'd I do now?!"

"You go the date wrong, you daft alien. Anyway, what are we gonna do about the wedding? Surely we need to go pick up a gift. Wonder where we should go…"

As Rose chattered on about the pros and cons of various gifts, and Jackie came back so the girls could chat about the wedding, the Doctor couldn't help but imagine what he and Rose's wedding might be like. She would look so beautiful in a white dress…

"…What do you think, Doctor?"

"Uh," the Doctor began, trying not to let out a strand of alien curses at being caught daydreaming once again. "Yes?"

Rose beamed at him, so he guessed that must be the right answer. "Great. So we'll just go ahead to the store, Mum, and then we'll pick up takeout on the way home, 'kay?"

_Store?_ the Doctor wondered to himself. _Who said anything about a store?_

"Alright, sweetheart. Make sure to pick out a nice gift for them, and get a nice card."

"We will, Mum. So, ready to go, Doctor?"

"Yep," he brightly replied, gathering that they were about to embark on a journey to select a wedding gift. "Allons-y."

* * *

AFTER two and a half _grueling_ hours, the Doctor and Rose headed back to Jackie's with Chinese takeout and a new Time Vortex Manipulator in hand. The Doctor had insisted on choosing the gift after over two hours of searching at five different stores, though it had required a trip to another planet.

Upon returning to the Powell Estate, the Doctor and Rose decided to pointedly ignore the fact that Rose had had to use the loo at the last store, and that the Doctor had had to accompany her due to their attached wrists. He was a perfect gentleman, of course, but they didn't want to risk Jackie's wrath should she disagree. He loved doing things with Rose, but that was a bit much.

They had dinner and began a "Men in Black" marathon, regaling Jackie with an abridged version of their shopping adventure.

After the credits rolled on "Men in Black 3", which the Doctor had picked up from the near future, the Doctor and Rose heard the distinct sound of their handcuffs unlatching. The Doctor and Rose rubbed their newly-freed wrists in relief before laughing a bit at the ridiculousness of their day. It was nice, seeing as how they were a couple, to do something together, but being forced to stay attached for 10 hours was taking it a bit far.

Around 10 that night, Rose got a call from Donna asking her to be the maid-of-honor at the following day's nuptials, and she passed on Jack's wish for the Doctor to be the best man. They agreed, though the Doctor did so a bit begrudgingly, and Rose started some much-needed girl talk with her friend.

The Doctor returned to the TARDIS for the night, already planning on how he could speak to Jack the next day. He was rather excited, all-in-all, and very happy to see his friends happy together. He could only hope that he'd get that kind of happiness soon.

*~*~TO BE CONTINUED~*~*


	19. In Formal Wear

AN: Hiiiiii~! So, I was actually able to update on time (I'm just as shocked as you guys) and I'm very proud of that. Anyway, you guys have been fan-stinking-tastic through all of this, and thank you so so SO much for forgiving me for being less than regular on updates lately. You guys are unbelievably awesome. XD Anywho, thanks again to all those who read, reviewed, favorited, and/or followed. Special thanks to DragonsAddicted, eruditereader, Truebluetardis, and TimeLordLady for the reviews. I love them dearly, and I'm super excited that I have near 50 on this story! That may seem like relatively few for some people, but its 10x as many as I have for all of my other stories combined, so I'm happy.

Also, the dress that I'm envisioning as Rose's for this chapter is found at  .  if anyone would care to look at it.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Jack. Or anyone else for that matter. *laughs at her own stupid pun*

10ROSE 30-DAY OTP CHALLENGE

DAY 19- In Formal Wear

*~*~PREVIOUSLY~*~*

Around 10 that night, Rose got a call from Donna asking her to be the maid-of-honor at the following day's nuptials, and she passed on Jack's wish for the Doctor to be the best man. They agreed, though the Doctor did so a bit begrudgingly, and Rose started some much-needed girl talk with her friend.

The Doctor returned to the TARDIS for the night, already planning on how he could speak to Jack the next day. He was rather excited, all-in-all, and very happy to see his friends happy together. He could only hope that he'd get that kind of happiness soon.

* * *

THE Doctor awoke the next morning to insistent knocking on the TARDIS' door. He begrudgingly got up, mumbling about decent times to wake up and cursing as he stumbled into various bits of furniture. The knocking only grew louder and more demanding, and he bellowed a frustrated "I'M COMING!" before the knocking suddenly stopped. He rarely slept, but when he did he liked it to be uninterrupted.

He reached the door moments later, and opened it to reveal a very miffed looking Rose. "Sorry to interrupt your beauty sleep." She skeptically looked him over, noticing his rumpled pajamas and ridiculously unruly hair. "God knows ya need it."

The Doctor looked mock-affronted, pouting and sniffling before letting her in. She only laughed in response, and he put on a matching smile. "So, Rose Tyler, what brings you here at," he paused to check the nearest clock, "sweet Lord, 7:30 in the morning? Let me guess: you missed me?" He beamed at her, despite the fact that he honestly was exhausted.

Rose only laughed, wounding his pride a bit. "I wish. No, I'm here to put you to work. We need to get ready for tonight, and then head over to the venue to help Donna and Jack get everything ready. We're the only members of the wedding party except for the soon-to-be Mister and Missus, so we're probably gonna be doing quite a bit today."

The Doctor groaned, wishing he'd gone to sleep earlier the night before. But he'd been too busying planning and worrying about officially proposing to Rose, so that didn't really end up happening. He'd only gotten about six hours of sleep, which would normally have been fine, but it was the first time he'd slept in weeks. "Can't I just go back to sleep and show up an hour and a half before it starts?" he whined, hoping she'd have mercy.

"Nope," she replied, popping the 'p' with a smile. "I'll go make us some tea, you start getting dressed. Tux of Doom, no trainers. See you in a tick." She gave him a good morning kiss before heading towards the kitchen. The Doctor stopped her by pulling her into a hug swaying them gently from side to side.

"How about… I make us tea _and _breakfast, you start getting ready, and I get to wear my Converse?"

Rose thought it over for a moment, an exaggerated look of indecision on her face. "Make em your new black ones and throw in another kiss and you've got yourself a deal."

"Done," he said, smiling down at her, before sealing their negotiated deal with a kiss.

* * *

"BRRRRRRRRRREAKFAST IS READY!"

Rose almost fell out of her chair in the middle of applying her make-up when she heard the Doctor's shout. "I swear, old girl, he'd gonna give me a heart attack one of these days."

**_I won't let him, dear. And you may want to hurry. He almost fell asleep a few times and set me on fire._**

Rose's eyes widened in alarm, and she hastily finished "getting her face on" before jogging down to the kitchen, not at all surprised to find the Doctor's t-shirt covered in batter of some sort, his apron smoldering on the floor close-by. "Did you set your apron on fire again?"

The Doctor smiled at her sheepishly, and that was all the answer she needed. She rolled her eyes at him good-naturedly and sighed. "Well, at least ya didn't get hurt. The TARDIS said you almost fell asleep, is that true?"

"Well…," he drawled, not sure if he should tell her that he hadn't been sleeping lately because of a resurfacing of his nightmares.

Rose came over and took the plate of pancakes out of his hand before setting it down and grabbing his hand instead. She led him back to his room, where she instructed him to sleep.

"Rose, I'm fine. Really, all I need is a good cuppa and-"

"No, Doctor. Finish getting your rest and then get ready." She stood up on her tip-toes and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Take your time, 'kay?"

He begrudgingly agreed, stumbling off to his bed. He was asleep before his head hit the pillow.

Rose just laughed softly at him. _For a centuries-old Time Lord, he can act like such a child._ She went back to the kitchen to scarf down a bit of breakfast. After clearing away her dishes and packing up the left-overs for the Doctor, she returned to her room to finish getting ready, curling her hair before pinning it into an elegant up-do. She touched up her make-up, though it was much softer and more natural-looking than usual. The Doctor told her that she looked more beautiful when she allowed her natural beauty to shine through, and just the thought of it made her blush with happiness. He could be really sweet when he wasn't busy being emotionally retarded and evasive.

After finishing with that, she went to the wardrobe room to find a suitable dress. She found a gorgeous dress, knee-length and TARDIS blue. It had a halter collar and a sweetheart neckline, and the bodice had a gentle criss-cross pattern. When she put it on it fit her beautifully, flattering her figure and making her look gorgeous. She selected a matching pair of low heels, hoping beyond hope that the Doctor's cursed tux would behave for a change.

"Well, how do I look?" she asked the TARDIS, twirling a bit in front of the mirror.

**_Beautiful as always, my dear. I am very flattered that you chose to match me for the ceremony. If my thief hadn't broken my Chameleon Circuit, I would become pink and yellow for all of the finest occasions._**

Rose giggled a bit at that, glad that she and the TARDIS had become friends. Or, at least, as close to friends as a twenty-year-old human and a dimensionally transcendent time machine could be.

Seeing that it had only been about an hour since she'd sent the Doctor back to bed, Rose decided to continue by herself for a while before making him get ready. She went to the library, taking extra care to make sure that she didn't wrinkle or in any other way mess up her dress.

Seeing that it was only just 9:30, she rang Donna up, hoping to see if there was anything they needed to do/bring to the venue. To her surprise, she was informed that all they needed to do was come about an hour and a half early so they could rehearse a bit. Turns out, "maid of honor" and "best man" at this ceremony only meant that they would need to walk down the aisle. Rose asked several more times if there was anything else they needed to do, but Donna assured her that it was more of a party than a wedding, and that they didn't want anything to be remotely formal.

After chatting for a bit about nothing in particular, Donna excused herself, saying that she had to go to brunch with her family and Jack. Rose wished her luck, knowing that her mother and Jack didn't exactly get along.

Rose felt a bit silly now, after insisting that the Doctor get all dressed up immediately. She had only been a maid of honor once before, and she had ended up doing pretty much everything for her friend Shareen. She loved doing it, of course, but it was kind of nice to be able to just go to a wedding.

She set off to find something to do, and settled on watching stupid telly in the media room. The Doctor came and found her a few hours later, dressed to the nines with sticky-uppy hair.

He plopped down onto their couch- and it really was _theirs_ after all this time- and cuddled up beside her, tucking her into his side and wrapping his arm around her shoulders. She hummed happily at that, and he hid his smile by nuzzling the top of her hair. He pulled his sonic screwdriver out of his pocket as subtly as he could, and in seconds they were watching "The Lion King" instead. Rose laughed at his antics a bit before turning the television off completely.

The Doctor grimaced a bit, and braced himself before asking, "Do we have to leave now so that we can help Donna and Jack establish their domesticity?"

Rose chuckled a bit, but shook her head, prompting a sigh of relief from the Doctor. "No. Apparently all we have to do is, well, show an hour and a half early…" she trailed off embarrassedly, not at all help by the Doctor's 'I-told-you-so' smirk. "Ahem, anyway, it's only-" she glanced at the clock- "12:30, and the wedding doesn't start til 8. So we have about six hours to get there. What do you want to do?"

"Well, I _had_ started "Lion King", but apparently you weren't all too excited about that…"

Rose laughed at his mock-offended tone before turning the television back on and toeing off her shoes. She snuggled deeper into the couch, and tucked her legs under herself so she could cuddle more with the Doctor. They chatted a bit, and they both belted out all of the songs as they came up. The Doctor insisted that they watch both of the sequels as well, and they made an afternoon of it.

When it was about a quarter to 6, they exited the TARDIS and grabbed some chips at the nearest stand. They made it to the large park/garden that was hosting the wedding at 6:30 on the dot, and Rose was immediately struck by how beautiful it was. There were faerie and Christmas lights strung in many of the trees and bushes, and there were incredible amount of gorgeous flowers growing everywhere. The soon-to-be newlyweds were standing near a small set up of a couple dozen chairs facing an arch of vines and red roses. They were standing under it, where Jack was whispering something to Donna that made her laugh before reaching up to kiss him. Rose let out an audible "Awww" at seeing her friends so happy and in love, and they walked over fairly quickly.

Rose greeted the redhead with a big hug, the both of them fawning over each other's dresses and smiling so brightly the Doctor was sure he'd be blinded. Jack smiled as well, though his was more affectionate and directed solely at Donna. She looked positively gorgeous, wearing a simple white dress that was sleeveless and A-line. She had no veil, and her hair fell in soft curls down her back. She, too, had gone with natural, light makeup, and Jack thought she looked radiant. _I am so lucky to have her…_

The Doctor looked at his friend in happy shock, still not quite believing that his friend was going to settle down. He pulled him into a less enthusiastic hug, and Jack gave him a sloppy kiss on the cheek. The Doctor look disgusted, wiping his face with fervor, causing everyone to laugh. The girls set off to look at decorations and the reception area setup, and so the boys started a leisurely stroll through the garden.

They walked in silence for all of three minutes (and twenty-two seconds) before Jack sighed and said, "Alright, spill. What'd you do, and why are you hiding it from Rose? I have no idea what's going on, but you look ridiculously guilty, so just fess up."

The Doctor blanched a bit, his mouth opening and closing several times before he regained his ability of speech. "Well, erm, I may or may not have… gottenengagedtoRosewithoutaskingortellingher."

Jack looked to the alien next to him in amusement and a bit of confusion. _There's no way he just said what I think he did._ "Mind repeating that for me, Doc? This time a bit slower and less mumbled?"

The Doctor sighed a bit, his cheeks tinged pink with embarrassment. "Well, it's like this: on my planet, it's a sign of betrothal for a woman and a man to wear the man's parents' robes, kind of like engagement rings here on Earth, but more binding. The other day, I asked if Rose would like to wear my mother's robe, but I kind of left out the part about it being my mum's… and that it meant that we were basically engaged. And now I'm scared out of my mind to tell her, and I don't know what to do, and I can't believe we're even having this conversation, and-"

"Woah, woah, woah, Doc. Remember to breathe. Breathing is good, remember?" Jack said, taking his friend by the shoulders and looking at him in genuine concern.

The Doctor took several deep, calming breaths before thanking Jack and continuing. "Sorry about that. Anyway, I really do _want_ to tell her, it's just…"

"You don't want her to be mad?"

"Exactly."

The Doctor and Jack continued their walk, the latter with a look of serious concentration as he tried to come up with a plan for his friend. "Okay, here's what you need to do: plan something really nice and romantic for her. Take her somewhere awesome, or make her something, it doesn't really matter. Just make some grand gesture and ask her in the human way. If she says yes, that's great, and you can decide if that's the best time to tell her that you're already engaged. If she says no, oh, who am I kidding? She loves you, Doc, and she's gonna say yes. All you have to do is ask." He smiled gently at his friend, who looked for all the world like he was going to faint.

After a few more moments of walking in silence, Jack saw his team from Torchwood- Tosh, Gwen, Owen, and Ianto- arrive, and he excused himself to go greet them. The Doctor continued walking, still a bit frightened about the prospect of proposing. He was rather excited though, and he turned around and made his way over to where he knew Rose and Donna had wandered off to.

After a few minutes of meet-and-greet, Ianto took his place under the flowered arch- turns out he was officiating- and the rehearsal began. After that was done with, all the Doctor and Rose could really do was help with greeting the few guests. Mickey was there, along with his girlfriend Martha Jones, who was a medical student at a nearby hospital. Jackie came soon after, and Donna's mother and Grandfather arrived right behind her. After that it was a blur of people neither the Doctor nor Rose really knew, but they enjoyed meeting them just the same. There were less than thirty guests in all, and it had a wonderful intimate vibe about it.

Neither Donna nor Jack were particularly religious, so it was mainly a civil service. The ceremony itself was started and finished in about 20 minutes, and after their first kiss as man and wife (which was really a bit passionate for public, but it was Jack so what can you do?) everyone moved to a nearby section of the park for the reception. Dinner was served buffet-style and had various informal foods like chips and burgers and the like. Everyone was dressed very fancily, though, and it made for an interesting contrast.

After everyone had eaten and chatted, the dancing began. The DJ started off with a nice slow song for the first dance, and Rose recognized it as "A Thousand Years" by Christina Perry. It fit, in a weird way. Jack would probably live to love her for more than a thousand years, and the sentiment was very sweet.

After that, the dance floor was opened up to everyone, and the Doctor took a few moments to work up his nerve before standing. He stretched his hand out to Rose and smiled down at her brilliantly. "Rose Tyler, may I have this dance?"

*~*~TO BE CONTINUED~*~*

* * *

AN: I haven't asked you guys any random questions lately. So, what other fandoms are you guys really in to? I'm absurdly invested in BBC's Sherlock, and I've loved Disney since I was about three.


	20. Dancing

AN: Howdaaaaaay! Okay, first of all, I'm ridiculously sad that this story is officially 2/3 over. I have a couple ideas for some other stories, but I don't quite know if anyone would actually like them. I'm also considering making a sequel to this (you'll see why in the last couple chapters), and I'm definitely going to be making a one-shot that's basically a deleted scene from chapter 14, and it should be up... sometime. :-/

Second, OH MY SWEET LORD RASSILON! 55 REVIEWS! You guys are *9th Doctor voice* **fantastic**! Special thanks to Kl, DragonsAddicted, TimeLordLady, Rose's Companion, and eruditereader. Thanks as always to the readers, reviewers, favoriters (it's a word. Don't question it...), and followers for this. You guys are the reasons I've kept writing this thing, and I am extremely grateful for you all.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Doctor Who, its characters, YouTube, "The Lion King", "Moonlight Serenade", "E.T.", "Can You Feel the Love Tonight?", and/or "Single Ladies".

* * *

10ROSE 30-DAY OTP CHALLENGE

DAY 20- Dancing

*~*~PREVIOUSLY~*~*

After everyone had eaten and chatted, the dancing began. The DJ started off with a nice slow song for the first dance, and Rose recognized it as "A Thousand Years" by Christina Perry. It fit, in a weird way. Jack would probably live to love her for more than a thousand years, and the sentiment was very sweet.

After that, the dance floor was opened up to everyone, and the Doctor took a few moments to work up his nerve before standing. He stretched his hand out to Rose and smiled down at her brilliantly. "Rose Tyler, may I have this dance?"

* * *

ROSE looked in a bit of shock at the Doctor's extended hand before shooting him a bright tongue-in-teeth smile. "Oh, alright. If you think you've got the moves."

The Doctor beamed down at her and pulled her up. They began to sway a bit there next to their table and he used a Northern accent to reply, "Oh, I've got the moves. But I wouldn't want to boast."

"You've got the moves?" He nodded a bit at this. "Show me your moves."

His voice returned to normal when he softly replied, "With pleasure." He led her to the dance floor, and they swayed gently despite the fast tempo of the song playing. Out of the corner of his eye, the Doctor saw Jack go up and whisper something to the DJ, who nodded in reply. A few moments later the upbeat song faded out and was replaced with Glenn Miller's "Moonlight Serenade", which had become "their song".

Rose smiled fondly at the memory of dancing to this song with her friend during the London Blitz, and then again with the old Doctor. Her smile turned a bit sad at that, and the Doctor pulled her closer and began to soothingly rub her back. She smiled up at him again, this time full of happiness and love, and he mirrored it. She blushed a bit and tucked her head into his shoulder, still not used to seeing so much open affection in his eyes. She loved it, though.

The Doctor was on cloud nine. He was dancing with the woman he loved, at his friends' wedding, and he hadn't even had to talk to Jackie yet! Plus, his "Tux of Doom" hadn't put it curse to work today! He looked down at the top of Rose's head, and laid a gentle kiss there before giggling a bit, absurdly happy at his lot in life. He rested his chin on the top of her hair as they swayed, unaware of the fact that most of the people in the room were staring at them, the newlyweds included.

Donna stood off to the side of the dance floor, tucked into Jack's side with his arm around her. "They're so bloody in love."

Her new husband chuckled a bit at that, smiling down at her tenderly. "Yep. Did you know they're actually engaged?"

Her eyes widened in shock, and she gasped a bit before exclaiming "No!" in a hushed voice.

He grinned at her reaction before telling her the whole story just as the Doctor had told it to him. Donna giggled a bit when Jack told her how flustered "Spaceman" as Donna liked to calm him had gotten. "She's gonna kill 'im, ain't she?"

Jack was just about to agree when he glanced back to the Doctor and Rose, who had continued to dance slowly even as the song changed once again. He didn't think they'd even noticed; they were too busy staring into each other's eyes with unhidden affection. They were both grinning like idiots, the Doctor a bit more, and Jack almost had to avert his eyes as its brightness. "I'm not so sure."

At this point, there had been two more songs after "Moonlight Serenade", and the Doctor and Rose finally came out of their daze when a fast-paced pop song came on and several guests flocked to the dance floor. Strobe lights flashed pink, green, blue, yellow, and red, and the Doctor and Rose jumped apart a bit before Rose smiled once again and started jumping about to the beat. The Doctor looked lost and a bit embarrassed, but Rose just shouted above the music for him to "Just start dancing, daft alien!"

_"You're from a whole 'nother world_

_A different dimension_

_You open my eyes_

_And I'm ready to go lead me into the light…"_

The Doctor finally recognized the song as Katy Perry's "E.T." (the radio edit, of course. The rap was a bit extreme for some of the more conservative guests. *cough cough Donna's mum*) and laughed a bit at Jack and Donna adding it to their songs. He tried to match some of the other guests' movements, but soon gave up and instead decided to just do his own thing. _Hey, I'm not half bad! I think I'm actually getting the hang of dancing on Earth…_

The Doctor was a horrible dancer. Truly, horrifically, unimaginably horrible. Rose would have laughed at it, but so many of the guests had already beaten her to it. The worst part was that the Doctor looked pleased with himself. He looked like he honestly thought he was doing well. She flushed with second-hand embarrassment for him, trying to smile but only succeeding in shooting him a slightly mortified grimace. A couple people (Jack, Donna, and the Torchwood team… and Wilf) had even gotten out their mobiles to video the spectacle. She was certain she was about to die of humiliation.

The Doctor was completely unaware of his significant other's discomfort and simply continued to dance with his hearts and soul. He was having a wonderful time, and many of the guests were cheering him on. They were even recording him! _Well, well, well. Looks like I already have a fan base! _

Donna and Jack were laughing their hinds off. Donna shouted to Jack, "He actually thinks he's _good!_" before they went back to focusing on the dancing misadventure of their favorite Time Lord. He didn't hear them, as they could barely hear themselves think with the music blaring, and continued to dance like he was the happiest thing in the world. He probably was, for all they knew. Jack and Donna simultaneously had the same thought: _This is _so_ going on YouTube!_

After about five more songs, Rose had had more than enough, she went to sit down, saying she was tired, and the Doctor insisted he come with her. There was a chorus of disappointed sighs from those on the dance floor, and it made the Doctor look far too pleased with himself. On getting back to their table, Mickey, Martha, and Jackie all immediately started laughing, making Rose groan and cover her face with her hands and the Doctor frown in confusion. This just sent them into another round of giggles, and Rose continued to hide. The Doctor sat down next to her, not able to figure out for the lives of him why everyone was laughing. _I don't think Rose did anything strange. Huh. Humans are weird._

Everyone recovered after a while, though Rose adamantly refused to go anywhere near the dance floor while pop songs kept playing. The Doctor didn't question it, and was content to merely chat with everyone at the table about this and that, though it took Martha a little while warm up to Rose. She must have been a bit wary of seeing her boyfriend's ex, but they were being nice and friendly within half an hour.

All too soon, the DJ made the announcement: "Would all of the lovely unmarried women here today please come to the dance floor for the bouquet toss?" While the girls lined up (Rose only going because Jackie literally dragged her), "Single Ladies" streamed through the speakers. Donna stood next to the DJ's stand with her back to the crowd. All of the girls chanted with her "One… Two… Three!" The bouquet sailed through the air…

…And landed straight in Rose's hands. She hadn't even reached for it, it just kind of… came right at her. She looked down at it in mute shock as several of the ladies teased and congratulated her in equal measure. She blushed a deep red and walked back to her table as quickly as she could.

The Doctor hadn't been able to see who caught the bouquet, but as soon as he saw Rose practically running back with a red face and a lovely arrangement of wildflowers in her hand, he was able to connect the dots fairly quickly. He began to flush as well, a perfect mirror of hers, before offering her a wobbly smile and asking her to dance once again. Rose paid special attention to the tempo first, but grinned and nodded shyly on realizing that it was a slow song. A love song, in fact. "Can You Feel the Love Tonight?" from "The Lion King", in fact, which she knew was often played for first dances at weddings.

They went back to the dance floor, both trying to calm their hearts as they began their lazy two-step. Many of the other guests "ooh"-ed and "ah"-ed at it, and they tried not to think about it too much. There were only a few other dancers at this point, seeing as how it was almost midnight. After the song ended, Rose let out an almighty sigh and the Doctor knew it was time to take his little pink-and-yellow girl home. They congratulated the newlyweds once again and said their goodbyes to the few guests that remained, and Rose promised Jackie they'd visit again soon before they started their trek back to the TARDIS. It took a bit longer than their trip to the wedding, seeing as how Rose kept nodding off as they walked. The Doctor laughed a bit at that before picking Rose up bridal-style and carrying her the rest of the way back, despite her protests.

When they returned to the TARDIS, the Doctor tried to carry her to her room but she insisted that she wasn't that tired, and that she didn't want to go to sleep yet. The Doctor tried to convince her, but she wouldn't budge. He smiled at her and made an exaggerated bow. "May I have this dance, then, Dame Tyler?"

Rose giggled before curtsying and replying, "Of course, Sir Doctor."

"Moonlight Serenade" once again played, this time through the TARDIS speakers as the time travelers slowly swayed in the console room. Rose kept dozing, soothed by the gently rocking motion and the Doctor's familiar double heartbeat. Her soft snoring soon reached the Doctor's ears, and he realized that she'd finally fallen asleep. He rolled his eyes playfully before once again lifting her up, this time carrying her to her room. He gently laid her down on her bed before removing her shoes and tucking her in. He gave her a soft kiss goodnight, and she smiled a bit even in her sleep.

Walking back to his room, the Doctor felt like his hearts would burst from joy. After all, human tradition was very important, and it would just be awful of him to try to go against the bouquet toss…

*~*~TO BE CONTINUED~*~*

* * *

AN: I would just like to admit to something a bit awful. When I was writing this, I almost did something totally different with the bouquet toss. I almost made it into unashamed Martha bashing, and she was going to tackle Rose like a barbarian to get the bouquet. Just so you know. But I exercised self-control and went with pure fluff instead. I'm sorry to any Martha fans, I just don't happen to be one. Is there a character that you guys can't stand don't particularly like? For me it's Martha and Adam from S1.


	21. Cooking or Baking

AN: Bonjour. Again. Unfortunately, I will not be able to update tomorrow. I have plans to go to my friend's house to watch Doctor Who. She has Netflix. :-)))))) Aaaanyway, here this is a day early. Well, technically it's about four days late, due to my mini-hiatus, but I declare wibbly wobbly timey wimey. A most sincere thank you to all those that read, reviewed, favorited, and/or followed. Special thank you to Truebluetardis, Kl, TimeLordLady, and Rose's Companion, who somehow already read and reviewed on the chapter I wrote about five hours ago. I don't know how you guys even, but I am most certainly not complaining.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Doctor Who. If I did, Doomsday, Journey's End, and The End of Time **would not** have happened. Ever. We don't need that kind of negativity in our lives. I also don't own the poem I kind of referenced, but I used it in an earlier chapter and already claimed non-ownership of it.

* * *

10ROSE 30-DAY OTP CHALLENGE

DAY 21- Cooking or Baking

*~*~PREVIOUSLY~*~*

"Okay, here's what you need to do: plan something really nice and romantic for her. Take her somewhere awesome, or make her something, it doesn't really matter. Just make some grand gesture and ask her in the human way. If she says yes, that's great, and you can decide if that's the best time to tell her that you're already engaged. If she says no, oh, who am I kidding? She loves you, Doc, and she's gonna say yes. All you have to do is ask."

Walking back to his room, the Doctor felt like his hearts would burst from joy. After all, human tradition was very important, and it would just be awful of him to try to go against the bouquet toss…

* * *

"SOOOO… any ideas on how to bake a cake?"

The Doctor had spent all night gathering supplies for his "grand romantic gesture." He took the TARDIS all over the universe to gather supplies, getting fresh chips from Cardiff, huge burgundy roses from Flora-III, and he made a leaf crown from the silver leaves in the TARDIS' Gallifreyan room. He had the engagement ring ready, a plain gold band that was engraved with the words "My Sun, My Moon, My Stars" in his native language. That last bit had taken him quite a while, but it was worth it. He had put the chips in a special holder that would keep them fresh and warm while he waited for Rose to awaken. He had spent several making sure everything was perfect, trying to gather as many of Rose's favorite things as he could. It was time-consuming, and a bit life-threatening on one of the planets, but hey. He had to do _something_ while Rose was sleeping. He'd go insane with worry if he stayed idle.

He was already obsessing over several what-ifs, worried she'd be mad. Or say no. Or ask to leave… Nope. No use worrying like that. Best to stay focused. Make everything perfect for Rose. Yep. Much better to do that. Aaaanyway, he knew that her favorite food was chips (check), Earth tradition said that red roses symbolized love (check), and that Rose had thought that the silver leaves were the most beautiful part of the Gallifreyan room (check). He knew that she wouldn't be able to read the Gallifreyan writing on the ring, but that was okay. It was mushy and very un-Time Lord-y.

All that was left now was to make Rose's favorite kind of cake, which was pretty much the most chocolate-y thing known to mankind: dark chocolate with chocolate chips and rich chocolate frosting. Since he still had a few hours until Rose woke up (he calculated about three hours and 26 minutes), he thought home-made would be best.

Only problem was, he didn't know how.

See, he made breakfast every morning, and that was great. He knew how to make things like that. But to make the kind of culinary masterpiece that Rose deserved, he kind of lacked those skills. And he was ridiculously nervous. So, you know, his hands were kind of shaking. A lot. And that made things a bit difficult. And he may or may not be unable to focus. Because over twenty of the thoughts running through his head were theoretical situations of how Rose would react, and most of them ended with him being slapped, laughed at, being immediately rejected, and/or being left alone on the TARDIS. So, ya, he was a bit of a pessimist.

But he was going to go for it anyway, and he took a bit of comfort in the other five scenarios, wherein there were happy tears as she said yes, and kisses, and just all-in-all ridiculous amounts of joy. He even spared a thought or two for how their life might turn out if she said yes. He wondered what their children would look like… He shook himself, trying to focus on the task at hand. "Seriously, old girl, _please_ help me out."

**_I am a thousand-year-old space and time machine. Why in all of the worlds would I know how to make a cake?_**

The Doctor sighed in exasperation, embarrassed that he hadn't considered that. "Right. Sorry about that. Do you know anyone I _could_ ask for help?"

**_There's always Jackie…_**

"Nope. Never mind. I don't need help. I can do this. I _definitely_ don't need help."

**_That's more like it. You just need to believe in yourself, Doctor._**

The Doctor looked to the ceiling with confusion. "Wh-what's with the encouragement?"

The TARDIS gave her equivalent of a guilty sigh before replying, **_Rose has asked me to be nicer to you. I like her more than you, so I agreed. _**

"Oh, well thanks for sugar-coating that. I am so glad that we have such a loving relationship. I don't know what I'd do without your unconditional respect and-"

**_Alright, I get it. No need to be jealous, Thief. She just hasn't hit me with a mallet. Or set me on fire. Or-_**

"Alright, alright! I get the point. I am sorry for that fire, by the way. How was I supposed to know that bumping up the power on the microwave to 1000% would cause it to combust?"

**_…Do you really need my help figuring that one out?_**

"Er, now that I've said it out loud it's kind of obvious where I went wrong." He smiled sheepishly. "I'm sorry."

**_Hm… Apology accepted. Now, regarding your "grand gesture", it's really quite simple. Here's what you have to do…_**

And so, the Doctor and his TARDIS spent the next hour or so baking the most chocolate-y cake possible. He had it baking in the oven and the kitchen relatively clean when Rose stumbled in, her fluffy pink robe half falling off and her hair an absolute mess. She mechanically began making tea, unaware of the Doctor frantically trying to hide the leaf crown and making sure that she wouldn't go near the chip container.

He was panicking. Completely, totally, unreservedly panicking. _Nononono! I was supposed to have over two more hours! Why is she already awake? Ahhhhhh! _On the outside, however, he was perfectly calm. "Hey, Rose. Wh-what are you doing up so early?" Well, not perfectly calm. More like a nervous teenager.

She mumbled something unintelligible, and continued making the tea. She seemed… out of it. "Sorry, what was that?"

"Couldn't sleep," she said with false cheeriness. "What about you, Doctor? How long did you sleep?"

"Er, I didn't," he replied, starting to get concerned. "Seriously though, Rose. What's going on?"

She sighed a bit before sitting down at the table. He joined her, and grabbed her hand from across the table, stroking the back of her hand in what he hoped was a soothing gesture. Judging by her genuine, if small, smile, he got it right. "I had a nightmare."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

She shook her head, but tears began pricking her eyes. She laughed mirthlessly at that. "I'm sorry, Doctor. I'm just being so silly about this."

"Rose," he said, kindly but with a bit of force. "You're not being silly. Please, love, just tell me what's wrong."

She looked up at him then, touched by his concern for her. She took a shaky breath and prepared herself. "Just… Daleks. Lots and lots of Daleks. They, um, tried to kill me, well obviously. Anyway, just… I'm not really scared, it just felt real at the time and it shook me up a bit."

The Doctor nodded in understanding at that, knowing that he'd had his fair share of Dalek-centric nightmares. He moved his chair closer to hers, which made a ridiculously loud screeching noise. He winced at that, but was happy beyond words when she began to laugh. He decided to milk it for all it was worth, and began to scooch his chair back and forth, making Rose laugh in earnest. He stopped very soon, though, and stayed where he was when his chair was directly next to hers. He nestled her into his side and nuzzled the top of her head before placing a gentle kiss there. She hummed in contentment, burrowing deeper into his side.

"Well, if you ever want to talk to me about it, I'll be here."

"Hm. For how long?"

He smiled gently and replied, "Forever."

She grinned back and was about to reply before she smelled something… burnt. "Uh, Doctor?"

"Yeah?"

"Is something… burning?"

"Of course not, Rose. What could possibly-" He cut himself off as he sniffed. His eyes widened and he jumped up and all but sprinted the few feet to the oven. On opening it, a great deal of smoke poured out, making them both cough and causing the TARDIS' automatic sprinklers to go off. Rose just laughed, though the Doctor looked incredibly put out. He pulled out the smoldering remains of the cake, which only made Rose laugh more. He pouted (even though Time Lords _do not_ pout) and carried the charred confection to the now dripping table. Both he and Rose were soaked, but the TARDIS took mercy on them and turned of the sprinklers.

The Doctor let his face fall to the table, giving up on life entirely. "M mmvn meem frffng."

Rose laughed a bit and put a comforting arm on his shoulder. "What was that, Doctor?"

He rolled his face towards her and said again, "I even made frosting."

The "kicked puppy" look written on his face melted Rose's heart, and she went to the refrigerator to get said frosting. She brought it back and ate a bit using her finger. "Mmm. This is _amazing_, Doctor. You should have some."

The Doctor, accepting his defeat, got up to go fetch the chips he had tucked away. He brought them back and dipped one in the chocolate spread before placing it in his mouth. His eyes widened and he once again chocolated his chip before scarfing it down. "This is _amazing_!" he exclaimed, not bothering to finish chewing before speaking.

Rose grimaced but got herself a frosting-covered chip before nodding in whole-hearted agreement.

"That's what I said!"

They continued to eat their chocolate-covered chips, their soaking clothes and burnt-beyond-belief cake all but forgotten. They slipped into easy conversation about everything and nothing, and the Doctor forgot all about the small golden ring in his pocket.

They finished their strange breakfast soon after, and after cleaning up as much as they could (and holding a small mock-funeral for the burnt cake), the Doctor remembered his whole reason for trying to bake. He reached into his dimensionally transcendent pocket and hand Rose the, er, roses, which she loved. He chickened out on giving her anything else, deciding that a morning that she _didn't _wake up from having a nightmare about Daleks would be better.

Besides, they had all the time in the world.

* * *

AN: Just a quick warning: when I return Thursday, I shall bring angst. Sorry.


	22. In Battle Side by Side

AN: Did you miss me? I had a wonderful day watching Doctor Who yesterday if anyone cares. My friend and I watched Series 6 (though we skipped a few) and I am not at all ashamed to admit that I cried an inordinate ammount. *shakes fist* MOOOFFAAAAT! Aaanyway, I'm probably going to have to write two chapters tomorrow because I have plans to go to my grandparents' on Saturday. I hope you guys like this chapter, because the angst to fluff ratio is much higher than in previous chapters. Also, this was the longest chapter I've written, and I watched Doomsday while writing it, so I hurt in several ways. Big thank-you and virtual hugs to the readers, reviewers, followers, and favoriters. Huge thank you and more virtual hugs to DragonsAddicted, Truebluetardis, Kl, eruditereader, and Rose's Companion for the reviews. I'm up to 65 now (though one is a duplicate) and I'm excited. Sorry that this was rambly.

DISCLAIMER: If you recognize it, it ain't mine.

****IMPORTANT NOTE** **The time frame of this story has changed to post-Doomsday AU, and the Doctor's adventures from Series 3 were had between Doomsday and this story, but without Martha. It's a bit wibbly wobbly, but ya.

* * *

10ROSE 30-DAY OTP CHALLENGE

DAY 22- In Battle Side by Side

THEY were everywhere. They surrounded Rose and the Doctor on all sides, and there was no chance of escape. The Doctor desperately turned to Rose, tears in his eyes. Her eyes were just as watery, and as they joined hands they mentally resigned themselves to their fate.

"Doctor?"

"Yes, Rose?"

"These are the cutest flipping bunnies I have ever seen!"

"I know, right?!"

The bunnies were crawling all over them, trampling all over each other in an effort to get closer. The Doctor and Rose sat side by side, with bunnies all around them. They nuzzled into their legs, nibbled their fingers, and tickled them with their fur. The Doctor and Rose were about to cry from the overwhelming cuteness, hence their watery eyes. They had come to the planet Kayoot because the Doctor decided that Rose needed a good cheering up. Her nightmares had come back in full force, and he thought it was past time for a nice, danger-free vacation.

So, here they were.

It was wonderful. Everything on the planet was insanely adorable, and the Doctor hadn't seen Rose smile so much in a long time. He hoped it would be enough to help her dreams turn happier. She had been waking up earlier for a few weeks now, tear tracks on her face and fear in her heart. She had tried hiding it from him, but the TARDIS was kind enough to wake him. She'd protested at first, saying that she was fine, or just being silly, or that there was nothing wrong. But he didn't believe her, and she'd unofficially moved into his room. So that he would be closer if she was scared, of course. Nothing else. Nope. Certainly not because her presence with him had the same soothing effect. No such thing.

Anyway, it really had helped, since just having someone near was able to calm her. It certainly didn't hurt that she loved the person that was now closer. And it really was working well. But every few nights she'd wake up crying, or thrashing, or screaming, and the Doctor's hearts broke for her. She shouldn't have to deal with anything like that. Not now, not ever.

So, he made the plan to improve her dreams. It started a week ago, the mission to show her all of the safest, sweetest things in the universe. He started by taking her to the real-world equivalent of Candyland. Then it was off to Romantica, which was the #1 couple's destination in the surrounding six galaxies. They spent two days there, and then they went to a planet made entirely out of ice cream. That one had resulted in a massive belly ache, but they agreed that it was worth it. Then they spent a couple days just lounging around in the TARDIS, refusing to act mature in any capacity. The Doctor instituted a pajamas only rule, and they stayed up late eating crisps and cookies and watching Disney movies. This seemed to work really well, seeing that Rose hadn't had a nightmare of any capacity for the whole week. He knew that he couldn't keep doing this forever, as some people and planets really needed him. But he wanted to help as long as he could.

After returning to the TARDIS after their day on Kayoot, the Doctor and Rose slipped into their nightly routine: the Doctor went to make tea as Rose showered and put on pajamas. They met up in the kitchen to drink their tea and just talk, and then the Doctor went to shower and change as well. Rose tidied up the kitchen (though they alternated, so they each cleaned up every other day), and after exactly 26 minutes she went back to the Doctor's room. They continued to chat and just enjoy each other's company until Rose got so tired she could hardly sit up straight, and then they slept.

With a grin, the Doctor remembered how awkward they'd been the first night they'd shared a bed; not when the TARDIS was being a brat, mind, but when he insisted that she come with him so he'd be there if she had a nightmare. She'd been extremely reluctant, not wanting to impose, but he wouldn't take no for an answer. They went back to his room and lay down, as far away from each other as possible without falling off the bed. It wasn't that they didn't want to "horizontal hug" again, but neither of them was brave enough to initiate it. The next morning, though, it turned out that they were both pretty courageous in their sleep, because they woke up in the middle of the bed with the Doctor wrapped entirely around Rose.

They stopped pretending because of that, and they automatically assumed the "Rose is My Teddy Bear" position, as they had started calling it, with the Doctor wrapped around Rose like an octopus. They drifted off to sleep sooner than usual, completely at peace with the world. Even the Doctor had been able to catch more shut-eye lately, though he still woke up absurdly early.

But that didn't matter now, because for right now everything was… perfect.

* * *

THE Doctor woke up after being hit in the face several times by Rose's thrashing limbs. She was still asleep but her face was covered in tears, and she was screaming.

"N-no! Stay away! I said get back! No! DOCTOR!"

The Doctor started panicking, thinking that Rose's nightmares now had cast him as the villain. "Rose, Rose it's alright," he began, shaking her shoulders trying to stop her thrashing.

"NO! DOCTOR HELP ME!"

"Rose, please wake up! Rose, love, it's okay. Wake up!" He wrapped his arms around her own, trying desperately to stop her from thrashing about.

She stopped screaming, but in its place she started to whimper and cry once again. "Doctor… help…"

"Rose, I am right here! Wake up! Please, Rose. WAKE UP!"

She woke up with a gasp, and when her eyes bolted open, they held a bit of golden glow. It seemed almost like a trick of the light, because only moments later she looked around frantically before her eyes landed on the Doctor. She immediately burst into tears, clutching him back with a fiercely tight grip. "I'm so-sorry, Doctor. I j-just-"

"Now, none of that. You have nothing to be sorry for, alright?" The Doctor gathered her more gently into his arms, rocking her gently back and forth and whispering sweet nothings of comfort to her. After a few minute's she'd calmed down, and the Doctor pulled back a bit to look at her face. Her hair was everywhere, tears streaked down her cheeks, and her eyes were red and puffy from crying.

"Rose?" he began delicately. _I don't want to make it worse, but I need to know…_

"Y-yeah, Doctor?" Her voice was shaking as much as she was, and it broke his hearts to see her so vulnerable.

The Doctor took a deep breath and searched her eyes before asking, "What happened? In your dream, I mean. I… I know I haven't asked at all these past couple weeks, but… it seems to be getting worse. Maybe I can help."

Rose looked apprehensive to say the least, and she was just opening her mouth to say she couldn't when she saw tears in the Doctor's eyes as well. "Please? I just want to help. I hate seeing you like this, love."

And that did it. Taking a moment to try to gather her courage, she sought out the Doctor's hand and entwined his fingers with her own. "Well, um, it's you and me, and we're on Earth. London, actually; 21ST century. And, um, there were… Daleks. Daleks everywhere. They kept sayin' that they were gonna kill us, that the world as we knew it would be turned to dust. They-" Her voice broke and she winced, as this was the part that made her cry out in her dreams. "They… were gonna kill you. I- there was nothing I could do. I just- I'm so sorry, I-"

She was getting more and more frantic, and tears once again pricked her eyes. The Doctor quickly shushed her and pulled her to him once again. "Sh, it's okay, Rose. Just… say it really fast. Like ripping off a plaster, all that good stuff."

She grinned a bit before sobering again. "I was useless. I just kept beggin' 'em to leave us alone. To stay away. They- they were about to kill ya. I- I couldn't do anythin'. I'm sorry, Doctor." She buried her face in his chest and began crying once again, and he just held her close. There was nothing else to do, really.

"Rose, it was just a dream. There's nothing to be sorry about. You are the least useless person I know- myself included. I know that you would never really be unable to help, because you're the one that always saves me. And I am incredibly grateful for that."

Rose looked up at him in shock, not in anyway used to the Doctor being so open about his feelings. "You- you really feel that way?"

He grinned down at her with all of the happiness and love of a thousand worlds. "I really do."

Her mood brightened considerably at that, and she adopted a grin that matched the Doctor's.

_Well, there's probably never going to be a better moment. Here goes nothing… _"Er, Rose? There's something… something I've been meaning to ask you." She looked up at him with rapt attention, and he took a deep breath. "Will you-"

**_"WARNING: MAUVE ALERT. WARNING: MAUVE ALERT."_**

The Doctor rolled his eyes at the TARDIS' timing, but he shot Rose an apologetic, if half-hearted, grin before they both headed towards the console room. The Doctor looked at the circular writing on the screen and his eyes widened in shock and alarm. "No… That can't- they couldn't- that is entirely impossible!" He double- and triple-checked the information, running several tests and diagnostics. Soon though, his look of fear and disbelief transformed to one of resignation. "Right. Well… that- well."

"Doctor?" Rose asked, walking closer to the console. "What is it? Wh-what's wrong?"

The Doctor smiled brightly, walking away from the console and trying to steer Rose back to "their room". "Nothing whatsoever, Miss Tyler. Everything's wonderful, fantastic, brilliant, molto bene, it's-"

Rose stopped them in the middle of the hallway and fixed the Doctor with a no nonsense look. "Quit lying to me, Doctor, and tell me what's goin' on."

The Doctor sighed heavily and frustratedly ran his hands through his hair. "Mauve Alert, as you probably heard. This time it's… well, it's 21ST century Earth. The- the Daleks are back."

* * *

IT had taken a lot of begging, pleading, threatening, and honest-to-goodness bribing (she owed him a rainforest worth of bananas after this), but she finally got the Doctor to agree to let her come. He kept telling her how dangerous it would be, but she promised that she'd leave as soon as things got bad. She just wanted to help. He really needed to learn to say no to that woman…

The Doctor landed the TARDIS in London (where else would the Daleks start their invasion?) and they went to go investigate. It took a ridiculously short time to find the trouble, seeing as how the Daleks decided that taking over Downing Street would be the best strategy for world domination. The Doctor and Rose got in with help from the psychic paper, and were led to a secret room in the basement where several government leaders and staff were hiding.

A familiar woman in professional clothes found them immediately, and flashed her I.D. with a grin. "Harriet Jones, former Prime Minister and current U.N.I.T. consultant. Hello Doctor, Rose."

"Harriet Jones!" the Doctor exclaimed, pulling her into a hug and positively beaming. "How have you been? Tell me everything that's going on."

She told him the basics of the situation, saying that the Daleks had suddenly appeared, only four of them, and that they claimed to be the Cult of Skaro, survivors of the Battle of Canary Warf and the Time War. The Doctor cursed at that, and Rose had the strangest feeling that she would have blushed if it had been translated, judging by how fiercely he said it. The Daleks had already killed most of the members of Parliament and the current Prime Minister, and they were making plans to retrieve an army from various fixed time points. They had enslaved several manual laborers from all over the U.K. to help them build a Temporal Manipulator, which was being constructed in the Prime Minister's office. Several members from various Torchwood teams had already been killed, including Jack, though the Daleks gave up on him after the 32ND extermination and simply made him a prisoner. He was being kept in the same place as the Temporal Manipulator, along with Donna, who was acting as incentive to keep him in line.

The Doctor's face turned stormier with every word, and by the end he was completely furious. "Alright. Harriet, get your team together. I'm going to confront them, but I'll need backup. We'll need a diversion, so I'll see if I can get a message to Jack. I'm not letting anyone else die. I'll take about five people with me, and we'll storm the office. I'll surrender, and-"

"No, Doctor you can't!"

The Doctor winced, having forgotten that Rose was there. He sighed before turning back to her. "Rose, you go back to the TARDIS."

She looked at him with all the stubbornness she could muster. "No. I'm not leavin' you. Not again."

The Doctor knew that she was referring to the time she'd been forced to go to an alternate universe, stuck after the battle that was supposed to destroy the Daleks for all time. The Battle of Canary Warf, the destruction of Torchwood, and the separation of the Doctor and Rose. It had taken him years to get back to her, decades, in fact. But for her it had only been a couple of months, and he wasn't going to tell her how long he'd been alone. After that she'd made a promise that nothing in all the worlds would ever separate them again, and though he knew it would break him he knew she had to go.

"Rose, I'm sorry, but it's way too dangerous. You promised that if there was too much trouble you'd go back to the TARDIS, and-"

"No. I. Am not. Leaving. And if you try to trick me like you did at the Gamestation, I will flippin' kill you."

The Doctor considered it in his mind for several moments before nodding. "Fine. But if anything happens to me-"

"Don't you even _think_ like that," she interrupted, tears beginning to prick her eyes.

"Rose, if anything happens to me, promise me, and I mean _promise_, that you will get back to the TARDIS and just go. There are people here that might be able to stop them, but you need to get out of here."

"Fine," she mumbled.

"Rose, _promise_ me."

"I promise."

The Doctor seemed satisfied with that, and he turned to the team that Harriet and her people had assembled. "Alright, here's the plan…"

* * *

THEY were all sneaking into the Prime Minister's office when the dying started. One of the Daleks was on patrol on the outside, and all six of Harriet's team were killed in the blink of an eye.

"RECORDS. IN. DI. CATE. YOU. ARE. THE. DOC. TOR. YOU. AND. THE. FE. MALE. WILL. COME. WITH .ME." The Doctor recognized him as Dalek Thay and nodded at Rose to comply. She looked terrified, but strong.

"So, what have you lot got planned this time 'round, eh?" The Doctor tried to come off as cocky, hoping the bluff would work. _If I keep them focused on me, they won't mess with Rose._ "Gonna try to enslave us all as pigs again? Oh, that was a laugh."

"THE. DOC. TOR. SHALL. REMAIN. SIIIILENT."

"Mm, no. I don't think I shall. Why should I?"

"IF. THE. DOC. TOR. DOES. NOT. RE. MAIN. SILENT. THE. FE. MALE. WILL. BE. EXTEEERMINATED."

The Doctor hazarded a frightened glance to Rose, who grinned at him so as to try to calm him. She mouthed _"It's okay, Doctor"_ before they continued into the office.

On walking in, several things caught the Doctor's eye. First, Jack stood chained to a wall with a menacing looking laser positioned in front of him, with Donna on the ground to his left. The other three Daleks- Sec, Caan, and Jast- stood near a giant metal console that looked very similar to the TARDIS', except this one looked… sick. It had glowing red vine-like tubes running all through it, though some were black as well. The desk, filing cabinets, and anything else office-like had been destroyed, nothing but ash that rested in piles around the room.

Jack looked up, though it seemed painful for him, and smiled as soon as he saw the Doctor and Rose. "Hey, hot stuff. Couldn't stay away, could ya?" His bright demeanor soon crumbled when he began to cough, and there was blood in it. He cringed before offering a wobbly smile, trying so very hard to be strong for Donna. She was lying in a heap with bruises and bloody wounds, looking like she'd been beaten. It took all of Rose's self-control to stop herself from running over to her, knowing it would only make things worse.

"Nah, not us. We could never build up an immunity to your charms, Jacky-boy," the Doctor replied with obviously false bravado and cheer.

"DA. LEK. SEC, I. HAVE. FOUND. THE. DOC. TOR. AND. ROSE. TYLER. SHALL. WE. EXTEEERMINATE?"

"NO, DA. LEK. THAY. WE. NEED. THE. DOC. TOR. FOR. OUR. DELIVERANCE."

"What do you mean 'your deliverance'? What could you possibly need my help for?"

"OUR. DEVICE. IS. IN. COM. PLETE. YOU. WILL. PROVIDE. WHAT. WE. NEED."

"And what might that be?"

"THE. TEM. PORAL. FLUX. CAP. AS. I. TOR. FROM. YOUR. TAAARDIS."

"Oh, let me get this straight: you want me to rip apart my TARDIS to help you assemble an army that you're gonna use to kill billions of people?" He scoffed and lowered his arms, which had previously been raised in surrender. He sobered and looked into the eyestalk of Jast, the nearest Dalek. "Not a chance."

"YOU. WILL. OBEY!" they all said, shrieking and yelling.

"I. WILL. NOT. OBEEEY!" the Doctor replied mockingly, making his face distorted as he did so. He laughed a bit more and hopped between the Daleks, trying to come off as confident. "Why on Earth would I listen to some saltshakers of doom wielding a plunger and a wisk? I'm insulted by the very notion." He stilled as he stood in the center of them, and he gave each of them a hard look. "I'll tell you what I am gonna do, though. I'm going to kill all four of you. The Time War ends today."

"IN. COR. RECT. THE. DOC. TOR. WILL. BE. EXTERMINATED. THE. FE. MALE. WILL. BE. EXTERMINATED. THE. IM. MOR. TAL. WILL. BE. EXTERMINATED. AND. THE. BAD. WOLF. WILL. BE. EXTEEERMINATED."

The Doctor's eyes widened in fear. "Who?"

"THE. BAD. WOLF. THE. CHAMPION. OF. CAN. ARY. WARF. THE. MURDERER. OF. THE. EMP. OR. ER. THE. STORM'S. COMPANION."

"No…" He turned his head quickly to see Rose develop a look of stormy fury on her face as her eyes began to illuminate with dangerous golden light. She walked straight into the center of the four Daleks, and placed a hand on his shoulder to calm him.

She had a gentle smile on her face as her now layered voice said, "My Doctor. Let me save you one last time."

His vision began to blur with tears, and he shook his head frantically. "No, no Rose you can't! It's going to burn your mind! You can't possibly do this!"

Her smile turned slightly sad, but it still held its warmth. "I am not Rose. I am the Bad Wolf, and I'm going to save my Doctor. I'm going to end it for you. My love…"

She pushed him away then, and the Daleks sealed him out as they surrounded her more tightly.

"THE. FE. MALE. WILL. CEASE!"

"No," she laughed at them. "I will not." She sobered as her eyes fully glowed, her voice ethereal and cold. "I have brought life and destruction. I decide that I am finished with you. You have caused hurt and sadness for so many people, and I cannot allow you to continue. My Doctor is right, the Time War ends today. You are small and simple; I am your undoing." With a flourish of her hand, the Daleks began to disintegrate. She looked back to the Doctor and smiled. "My Doctor…"

He almost missed the Dalek raising it's laser, as he was staring at Rose with eyes wide with wonder. He saw it at the last second, as Dalek Sec poised to attack. "ROSE, LOOK OUT!"

But it was too late. A beam shot out and struck Rose's back, and her skeleton illuminated with eerie green light before the Daleks finished turning to dust. She let out a small sound, a whisper. But he heard her. Her last word was "Doctor."

The golden glow became brighter as the Doctor gathered her into his arms, her breathing shallow and her heartbeat erratic. Her eyelids fluttered, and the light spread from her eyes to encompass her whole body. He ran, taking the stairs two at a time and running through the traffic-heavy streets. "Why do you never listen, Rose?! I told you to go back to the bloody TARDIS, but you never listen! Why do you have to be so _stubborn?_ Just be stubborn one more time, and fight this. You're going to be okay, just _fight!_"

He made it back to the TARDIS and ran her to the med bay, which was relocated right next to the console room. "Please, _please_ don't leave me…"

Those were the last words Rose Tyler heard before her world turned black.

*~*~TO BE CONTINUED~*~*

* * *

AN: I feel kind of evil. I think I like it, though.


	23. Arguing

AN: Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii! So, here's chapter 23. Obviously. Anyway, I know that I panicked a few people with the ending of my last chapter, but I just want you guys to know that you have every right to panic. Muahaha. Anyway, I'm very excited to say that I'm just 1 review away from 70 (and I'm going to say it that way because some people might make icky jokes) and I'm going to go out on a limb and make my goal for this story to be 100. You guys are all marvelous, and I want to thank the readers, reviewers, followers, and favoriters. Special thanks to Rose's Companion, DragonsAddicted, eruditereader, and Truebluetardis. I want to thank them not only for their reviews, but for accusing me of being an evil, Moffat-like writer. That means a lot. :-D

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Doctor Who. If I did, there would 100% be a musical episode and Rose would still be there.

* * *

10ROSE 30-DAY OTP CHALLENGE

DAY 23- Arguing

*~*~PREVIOUSLY~*~*

A beam shot out and struck Rose's back, and her skeleton illuminated with eerie green light before the Daleks finished turning to dust. She let out a small sound, a whisper. But he heard her. Her last word was "Doctor."

The golden glow became brighter as the Doctor gathered her into his arms, her breathing shallow and her heartbeat erratic. Her eyelids fluttered, and the light spread from her eyes to encompass her whole body. He ran, taking the stairs two at a time and running through the traffic-heavy streets. "Why do you never listen, Rose?! I told you to go back to the bloody TARDIS, but you never listen! Why do you have to be so _stubborn?_ Just be stubborn one more time, and fight this. You're going to be okay, just _fight!_"

He made it back to the TARDIS and ran her to the med bay, which was relocated right next to the console room. "Please, _please_ don't leave me…"

Those were the last words Rose Tyler heard before her world turned black.

* * *

"PLEASE, _please _don't leave me…" He gently lowered her to the nearest cot in the med bay, immediately taking her vitals. Her heart rate was incredibly low and dropping by the second, and her breathing kept becoming more and more irregular. "No," he breathed, realizing that his worst fear was confirmed: Rose Tyler, his best friend and the love of his life, was dying. "Nononono! Come on you stupid, _stubborn _ape! Fight it! You ended the Time War! You destroyed all of the Daleks! You lived through a psychograft, the Isolus, Raxacoricofalapatorians, two Cyberman invasions, and you came back from an alternate bloody universe! You don't get to quit on me now, Rose Tyler!"

He began doing CPR, getting into a rhythm and continuing to try to reason her out of dying. Thank Rassilon for his gob! "Rose Tyler, you _do not_ get to die. I don't give you permission, and I am the highest flipping authority in the universe. You STAY. WITH. ME. You said forever, and by goodness I'm gonna hold you to it!" The machine that was measuring her heartbeat began to beep wildly, and it seemed like time stopped. In the silence that followed, the long continuous beep was deafening. An automated voice that somehow sounded sad announced: _Rose Tyler. Deceased 8:15 p.m. December 25, 2008. _

The Doctor laughed in spite of the tears that began streaming from his eyes. To be honest, it sounded more like a broken sob. "Of course it's Christmas. Of all the times-" His voice broke as the control and composure he had fought so hard to keep fell apart. He walked back to the side of her cot, looking for the last time into her dark honey eyes. He slowly reached out and closed her eyes before shakily taking a breath and placing a gentle kiss on her forehead. "I'm so sorry, Rose. I promised I would protect you. I- I failed…" His voice was nothing but a whisper, but in the near-empty room it sounded like shouting. "I wish you could actually hear any of this," he finished with a broken laugh.

**_Doctor, I am so sorry. If there's anything I can-_**

"No, there's not. There's nothing anyone can do." He moved so he could lay next to her, curling into her side. He pressed a soft kiss to the top of her head, and he tasted the salt of his tears with it. _I- I need to keep it together. I can't break down… I c-can't-_ He wasn't even able to finish the thought before he was overcome with violent sobs. He hung onto her as tightly as he dared, crying into her hair because he couldn't bring himself to stop. "I'm so sorry, Rose! I- I promised I'd protect you and I couldn't. I- I'm sorry. I am so sorry!" He continued to apologize, wishing with all of his hearts that he could somehow be forgiven. "I love you, Rose," he finished in a soft whisper, pressing one more kiss to her temple when he felt… a tingling. Curious, he lifted his hand up to her temple once again, and he saw gold. He jumped back, confused but filled with a bit hope.

"Rose…?" She stirred a bit at that and- she stirred! He quickly jumped up and turned the machines back on, finding that she had a nearly steady heartbeat and respiratory pattern. "Rose!" He began fidgeting, jumping up and down slightly as he waited for whatever miracle was occurring to do its work. She continued to take shaky breaths until her breathing became normal, and he walked back over to make sure she was alright. "Sorry about this." With that he entered her mind, feeling the pain of dying and the light flutter of her consciousness returning. Apparently, she had still been alive when she flat lined, but he had been too overcome with grief to keep the monitor engaged. She was coming back… somehow.

He stepped back again as her mouth opened wider and luminous gold smoke poured from it. His eyes widened in shock before he snapped out of it and addressed the TARDIS. "How? How is it possible? She's not a… I mean she couldn't… There's no way that… How?!"

**_Erm, it appears the Vortex energy… repaired her. Like a regeneration, but without your biology. And she's not going to change. But she will be weak for quite some time. She wasn't entirely dead, but her heart rate was weak and slow enough to be undetectable on the monitor. _**

"This can't be possible," he mumbled to himself as he checked her vitals. Everything was normal, but he still couldn't believe it. "How is this possibly… possible?" Rose started to stir again, breathing out another puff of golden smoke before stilling.

He gave up on trying to figure out what was going on for now, and instead lay down at Rose's side again. "I don't know how you're okay, but I'm not gonna look this gift horse in the mouth. Not yet, anyway." He looked down to see another gust of smoke before sighing in confusion and settling in further into the cot. "Just rest for now. I think we both… might…" He was cut off with a mighty yawn. "Need it…." And with that the Time Lord slept.

* * *

THE first thing Rose was aware of when she started to wake up was warmth. There was something warm and soft next to her, and there was a steady movement on her back. It felt like… breathing. She blinked her eyes open, and looked to her right to see a very familiar head of fluffy brown hair. "D- Doctor…?"

Said Time Lord bolted up at that, his eyes frantically searching her face. "Rose? Rose! What's wrong? Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

She batted his hands away good-naturedly, chuckling a bit at his concern. "I'm fine. Quit fussin'. Blimey, I've got a headache, though. What happened yesterday?"

"D-don't you remember?"

"Nooo. If I remembered, I wouldn't have asked. In fact, I- ah!" She was cut off with a shriek of pain and clutched her head, her eyes flashing gold. She felt like her mind was on fire, and it _hurt._ "Doctor!"

"Rose, I'm here! Sh, sh. It's alright, I'm here. I'm here…" He put one hand on either side of her head, positioned just over her temples. "This is gonna feel weird, but trust me, okay?" She nodded through the tears that were streaming down her face. He looked straight into her eyes as he entered her mind, finding all of the memories of Bad Wolf and their most recent interaction with the Daleks and erasing them. He felt first-hand the immense pain that she was in, and it shocked him for a moment. He recovered very soon, and made quick work of wiping her memories. It was hard for him to do, knowing that it was a _massive_ invasion of privacy, but he knew that if he wouldn't she would die. Again.

"Don't-" He opened his eyes when he heard her request, and he was surprised to see her looking straight into his eyes. "Don't make me forget."

He shook his head in remorse before closing his eyes and fully returning to her mind. "I'm so sorry."

Their connection ended as she snapped back, her eyes flashing golden and dangerous. "Don't take me away from the Rose child, Doctor," the Bad Wolf said, her voice layered and threatening. "She will die without me and you know it."

The Doctor's face turned hard as he looked at her. "No, you have to go. Your presence in Rose's mind is going to destroy her. She can't handle that much of the Time Vortex; she's just a human!"

She smiled in a way that Rose would make seem warm, but on "Bad Wolf" it just seemed cold and condescending. "Well, then there's only one thing to do. My Doctor, you must make her a Time Lord."

"That's impossible! You can't just _poof!_ and make someone into a different species!"

"But you _can._ Remember how you hid from the Family of Blood?"

The Doctor resolutely shook his head. "No. I would never put Rose through that."

"And how is it your decision? You said it yourself, my Doctor: Rose's human mind cannot contain me."

"Well, then I guess you're just gonna have to go." And before she could say another word his hands were once again at her temples. "Goodbye, Bad Wolf. And hello, Rose Tyler."

The rest of the gold in her eyes disappeared and in one final breath of golden light she collapsed against him. He gathered her into his arms and tried to send a sense of calm into her mind. "Sh, just sleep, Rose. It's going to be alright."

* * *

THE next time Rose woke up, she was in the Doctor's room lying next to him. He was turned on his side and looking at her with… concern? _What could he possibly be worried about?_ Before she could ask him, he put on a bright smile and all of the worry disappeared from his eyes. "Good morning, Sleeping Beauty. Blimey, you lot sleep your whole lives away, don't you?"

She smiled back and playfully whacked his arm. "Oi! Not all of us can live off an hour of sleep a night."

"True." He sighed heavily and over-dramatically placed a hand over his hearts. "Alas! The lonely life of an insomniac." He smiled brilliantly when he heard Rose's laugh. _God, I can't believe I lost her._ "So, Rose Tyler. What exciting adventure do you want to have today?"

"Hm, I dunno. This is pretty nice," she said, snuggling back into his chest, comforted by his double heartbeat. His chuckled shifted her head a bit, and he began running his hand through her hair. "What do you want to do?"

_I can't believe I was never gonna hear her voice again. Or make her laugh. Or just hold her. Or- nope. No use thinking like that. _"Why don't we take you home? You'd love to see your mum and Jack and Donna, ya?"

"I'd love to. But not right now. Can we just have a day to do nothing and float around?"

He pressed a kiss to her hair and tried to nonchalantly inhale her unique scent. _I might have never smelled again. I might have never gotten the chance to just _be_ with her again. I love her so much…_ "I think that'd be brilliant. Rose?"

"Hm?"

"I love you."

She laughed a bit at that and grinned into his chest. "I love you too, Doctor."

"Really though, Rose," he said seriously, holding her tighter and trying to fight back tears. "I love you. _So_ much."

Rose looked up at him and was shocked when she saw tears. "Doctor? What's wrong? Why are you crying?"

"Hm? Crying? Me, no. Time Lords don't cry," he said, wiping his eyes.

"Well then you're not a Time Lord. Why are you crying?"

"'M not."

"Doctor."

"Rose."

She glared at him, cursing him for being so stubborn- _he was running as he carried her, yelling at her, "Why do you have to be so _stubborn_?" And he kept running. Always running. _

Rose gasped as she suddenly remembered… something. It wasn't even a real memory. She just remember feeling like she was being carried, and she remembered the noise. "Doctor, what day is it today?"

The Doctor's smile returned and he pointedly ignored whatever could have made her gasp. _Nope she can't remember she doesn't remember everything's okay everything's alright everything is _fine._ Just… false cheer. False cheer always works._ "That's why I thought you'd want to go home for a visit. It's Christmas morning."

"No, it's the 26TH. I- I died at Christmas…" She shook her head and laughed shakily at that. "But that's stupid. I didn't die, I'm right here. Gah, I dunno what's going on with me. So, Christmas, ya?"

The Doctor just looked at her with shock and fear. _This can't be happening. I fixed it; I took the Vortex out of her!_

"Uh, Doctor?"

He snapped himself out of his daze. "Yes?"

"What's wrong? There's somethin' you're not tellin' me. Spill."

"No, nothing wrong. Psh, that's just-" He paused as he caught sight of her glare. "Ridiculous."

"Doctor," she began again, this time sitting up and wincing a bit when she felt a pang in her head. "Tell me what's going on."

"Nothing to tell," he replied, refusing to meet her eyes.

"Fine, just keep it from me. I get that you're probably tryin' to protect me, but Doctor I can take care of myself."

"Ya, right," he scoffed, remembering just a few hours previous when she got herself killed by being stubborn.

"Excuse me? What makes you think you have the bloody right to keep things from me, Doctor?"

"Oh, I dunno. Maybe the fact that every time I let you go off on your own you get into trouble. You're a magnet for it, Rose."

"Oh, I'm sorry. Who was it that got us arrested on _every flipping planet_ we go to? Who made me miss an entire _year_ on Earth because he got the date wrong?! And every time something happens, you just say that I'm irresponsible or that I never listen or that I'm just too _stubborn_! You don't get to keep things from me, _Doctor. _You have absolutely no right."

"Actually, _Rose_, I do. _You _get us arrested just as much as I do, and _you're_ the one that always wanders off! I try to show you the best of the universe because it's the only way that I can get close to showing you how much I care about you, and sometimes yes, I do get the date wrong. But I only do that because I'm so excited to see your face light up with a smile. And yes, I hide things from you. But I do it to protect you. And I only try to protect you because I love you and losing you again would kill me!"

A heavy silence fell over the both of them as the Doctor and Rose let his words sink in.

"What do you mean by 'again'?"

*~*~TO BE CONTINUED~*~*

* * *

AN: I'm going to _try_ to update again today, because I know for a fact that I can't tomorrow. No promises, though. Writing is hard, yo.


	24. Making Up Afterwards

AN: Hello again. Lord, it's been forever since I updated last. Or two hours. One of the two. Anyway, here's chapter 24 because I can't update tomorrow. Hope you guys like it, because I think that this is the chapter that everyone's been waiting for... Anyway, spoilers. What I can say is THANK YOU to those that read, reviewed, followed, and/or favorited, especially to DragonsAddicted and eruditereader for somehow already reading and reviewing on my last chapter.

DISCLAIMER: I unfortunately did not miraculously gain ownership of Doctor Who in the last couple hours. I made a reference to the Doctor Who novel "The Stone Rose", but I don't own that either.

UPDATE: Alright, so yesterday when I posted this there were strange technical difficulties. Sorry about that. Here it is again, and hopefully this fixed the glitch.

* * *

10ROSE 30-DAY OTP CHALLENGE

DAY 24- Making Up Afterwards

*~*~PREVIOUSLY~*~*

"Oh, I'm sorry. Who was it that got us arrested on _every flipping planet_ we go to? Who made me miss an entire _year_ on Earth because he got the date wrong?! And every time something happens, you just say that I'm irresponsible or that I never listen or that I'm just too _stubborn_! You don't get to keep things from me, _Doctor. _You have absolutely no right."

"Actually, _Rose_, I do. _You _get us arrested just as much as I do, and _you're_ the one that always wanders off! I try to show you the best of the universe because it's the only way that I can get close to showing you how much I care about you, and sometimes yes, I do get the date wrong. But I only do that because I'm so excited to see your face light up with a smile. And yes, I hide things from you. But I do it to protect you. And I only try to protect you because I love you and losing you again would kill me!"

A heavy silence fell over the both of them as the Doctor and Rose let his words sink in.

"What do you mean by 'again'?"

* * *

THE Doctor's eyes widened as he quickly tried to think of a way to talk himself out of their current conversation. "Well, just remember BadWolfBay- hold on, no. No, that's not important. You! You're important. Good old Rose Tyler. Just Rose. No one else. But, I lost you at the old Torchwood. Battle of Canary Wharf and all that. Lost you in Pete's World then. That was a rubbish 60 years, let me tell you-"

"What do you mean 60 years? It was a few months, Doctor." He looked away guiltily, realizing that he _really_ needed to learn to control his gob. "Doctor?!"

"For you it was a few months but for me it was 57 years and I kept traveling alone for a long time but I was always trying to get back to you and then I finally found a way and I was so completely terrified that you'd be dead and gone but that goodness I got the date wrong because I arrived 56 years and 5 months earlier than when I left and I didn't want to tell you because I knew that you'd worry about me but that's the thing, Rose, it's not your job to worry about me I am over 900 years old and it's my job to take care of you not the other way around and please don't try to tell me that it's not my job because it _is _and I have to protect you because I love you and-"

"Breathe!"

He took a deep breath, only just realizing that he'd been talking nonstop so long that his respiratory bypass system had kicked in. He took several breaths before beginning again. "And I need to protect you, Rose, because I can't live without you. You saved me and you're my entire world more than worlds you're my universe you're my _existence_ and I lost you or almost lost you so many times and I just want to keep you safe and happy for as long as I can." He finally stopped and met Rose's eyes, and he began to panic anew when he saw the tears in her warm eyes. "Nononono! Don't cry, Rose, _please_ don't cry. I'm sorry I'm such a-" but he was cut off when her mouth covered his in a soft kiss.

"Why didn't you tell me you were alone?" She said it in such a heartbroken way, like knowing that the Doctor had been lonely was the worst thing she could imagine. And it was.

"Because I didn't want you to worry," he replied sheepishly, willing the memories of his time without Rose to _go away_.

He smiled up at her gently, but that was gone in a second as she hauled back and slapped him. "I'm worried that you don't trust me enough to tell me things like that, you git!" She said this with a strange laugh, though, and it was by no means the hardest slap she'd given him for being stupid, so he knew things were getting better.

"I'm sorry, Rose. Forgive me?"

She looked into his puppy-like eyes and melted. "Always."

"Promise?"

"That depends. Is there anything else you're hiding from me?"

His eyes widened at that, the gold ring in his coat pocket suddenly feeling extremely heavy. "Weeeeell," he started, looking down and awkwardly pulling his earlobe.

"Spill. Now, Doctor."

The Doctor took a deep breath before beginning his third ramble of the day. "You remember when I gave you that robe from my home and we went and explored the Gallifrey room?" She gave a confused nod. "Well, and this is where things get, erm, complicated. See, on Gallifrey it was a tradition for men to give their mother's robe to their fiancé. It was really more of a proposal in itself, really. Kind of like how you lot accept engagement rings. Well, by giving you my mum's robe, we kind of… got engaged." He looked up at her to gauge her reaction, but she had schooled her features into an emotionless mask. "Anyway, I didn't want to tell you because I really only intended for it to be something from my home that I could share with you. Not that I don't want, well, the engagement bit too. And that's why I have this." Here he pulled out the golden band that had been haunting him for weeks. Rose gave a gasp of surprise but didn't react beyond that. "See, I really _do_ want us to, well, get married. Technically, we already are, but-"

"Excuse me?"

The Doctor winced at her accusing tone. "Well, remember Saphrona? Where we shared that glass of wine and then danced and all that?" Another nod from Rose. "That's their version of a marriage ceremony. I swear I didn't remember at the time, and it's only legally binding on that planet, but yeah. And there are other planets, too. Where we're married until we leave. Or engaged, on some of them. But Gallifreyan weddings are the only ones that are universally legally binding. So, if we had a wedding like on my home world-"

"We'd be married everywhere," Rose finished, seeming as though she was half in a daze. She looked up into his eyes and studied them for a moment before gathering her courage and asking the big question. "And, is that what you… want? For us, I mean."

"Yeah," he breathed out shakily. His face soon had another brilliant smile, though. "If that's what you want, then I think it'd be fantastic."

"But, Doctor," she said seriously, sitting up more to properly face him. "What do _you_ want?"

The Doctor met her steady gaze and his smile turned gentler as his love for her shone through. "I want for you to be my wife." He stood up and walked around the bed until he was right in front of Rose, who now had a ridiculously large smile on her face as well. She stood as well, and he knelt down in front of her with her left hand in his right. He held the ring with his own left hand, and he put on a false serious face when he addressed her. "Rose Marion Tyler," she giggled at that, and a smile broke on his face when he heard it. "Now, don't start with that. I'm trying to be serious, Rose."

"Right, sorry," she said, clearing her throat. She put on a serious face of her own before nodding for him to continue.

"Right. Rose Marion Tyler, I love you. I know that I've said it a lot, but I have every intention of reminding you and proving it to you every day for the rest of our forever, however long it may be. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, or at least however long the both of us have left. I want to spend every day putting a smile on your face and showing you all of the best and most beautiful things in the universe. I want to hold you in my arms every night and fight away your nightmares. I want to wake up every morning to your deafening snores and morning breath and bed head, because when you don't have makeup on, and you're slobbering all over my pillow and stealing all of the covers you are the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. I want to cheer you up when you're sad, and I want to make every day the best day of your life. And I'd very much like to do all of these things as your husband. So, Rose Tyler," he paused to look up at her with his brilliant grin and saw tears of happiness in her eyes. "Will you marry me?"

"Yes, you daft alien!"

He placed the ring on her finger before being tackled to the ground with a bone-crushing hug and a loving kiss. They parted soon after, basking in their happiness.

He playfully reached up to kiss her nose before letting his head fall back to the floor. "Hello, Future Mrs. Doctor."

She laughed at that, her smile blindingly bright and joyous. "Hello, Future Husband."

"Mm, I rather like the sound of that."

"Me, too." They took a moment to just revel in holding each other before Rose jumped up and pulled the Doctor with her. She looked more closely at the ring, only just noticing the circles, swirls, and lines that were engraved in it. "What's it say?"

"'My Sun, My Moon, My Stars.'"

Rose chuckled a bit at that. "You're so cheesy, Doctor."

"Oi!" he said in mock-offense. "Do you have any idea how long that took me to engrave?"

"You did this? Really?"

"Now, don't sound so surprised," he retorted, bumping her shoulder with his and defensively putting his hands in his trouser pockets. "You saw what I did with that Fortuna statue. I'm incredibly artistic, Rose."

She just rolled her eyes with a smile. "Whatever you say, Doctor." She pulled him into another hug that he whole-heart(s)edly returned. "Doctor?"

"Hm?"

"You do realize you're gonna have to tell my mum about all this, right?"

"…Oh."

*~*~TO BE CONTINUED~*~*

* * *

AN: I shall return to you Sunday, everybody. Until then, enjoy the fluff. By the way, what did you guys think of the proposal? I hope I didn't disappoint anyone. I tried to make it fluffy, but not OOC. Did I succeed? Please let me know either way.


	25. Gazing into Each Other's Eyes

AN: Hullo! Here's a new chapter, sorry about not updating yesterday. I went to my grandparents' and we had a family day. It was really nice, and we watched Doctor Who. Yay! Anywho, here this is, and I hope you all like it. Thank you to all of the readers, reviewers, followers, and favoriters. Special thanks to Kl, eruditereader, Rose's Companion, Truebluetardis, and DragonsAddicted for the reviews. I'm glad you liked the proposal.

Just to clarify in advance, _"The Doctor's thoughts to Rose", __**"Rose's thoughts to the Doctor"**__, __**the TARDIS telepathically speaking**__, regular thoughts for whoever the paragraph is about._

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Doctor Who. I am now the proud owner of series 1-7 on DVD (I love my family), but I don't make a profit from this. I didn't even get the information accurate, I'm sure.

* * *

10ROSE 30-DAY OTP CHALLENGE

DAY 25- Gazing into Each Other's Eyes

*~*~PREVIOUSLY~*~*

"…I want to make every day the best day of your life. And I'd very much like to do all of these things as your husband. So, Rose Tyler," he paused to look up at her with his brilliant grin and saw tears of happiness in her eyes. "Will you marry me?"

"Yes, you daft alien!"

"Doctor?"

"Hm?"

"You do realize you're gonna have to tell my mum about all this, right?"

"…Oh."

* * *

"OH, you two missed all the fun! Harriet Jones gave this big speech on Boxing Day, and the Royal family had this big what-to-do. Apparently, there was some kind of alien in Downing Street. Again! Well, anyway, Mickey and Martha came by- they're engaged now, an' hopin' for a spring weddin'- and then the Harknesses. Mo came by askin' about you, you might wanna call her. Mrs. Turner took in a couple of new tenants, and things seem to be goin' well with them. Oh, poor Ms. Prince passed away. Something about tetanus or Botox or something, I can never remember. But what's new with you two? You hardly ever come by any more."

The Doctor and Rose were sitting across the room from each other in Jackie Tyler's flat. Rose had decided to hide her engagement ring for the time being, at least until they were able to decide how to bring up the news. For now they were content to let Jackie gossip about everything under the sun, though the Doctor looked more than a bit miserable. "Oh, you know. Just… planets and aliens and all that good stuff. Tell us more about what's been goin' on here, Mum." And that was enough to sent Jackie into another rambling spell that would rival the Doctor's. Rose was really just trying to buy him some time before he had to break the news. While Jackie and the Doctor had been getting along much better in the past while, things were still a bit tense between them, and he was by no means Jackie's favorite person. He didn't particularly want to threaten their truce by joining her family. _"God, she's got a gob," _he thought to himself, surprised beyond belief by the _"__**Oi!**__" _he heard in response. He looked up in surprise and confusion at Rose, who was looking insulted and not half miffed. **_"Why are you sayin' that about my mum? You two're 'sposed to be nice today."_**

Oh, right. Psychic link. That was sure to get him in trouble.

See, after Rose agreed to marry him, she asked some questions about what marriage was like on Gallifrey. He'd tried to deflect the questions at first, but she was as stubborn as her mother, and he eventually opened up enough to explain the process of familial and marital telepathic links. He had to compare it to a Vulcan mind meld- which was really just insulting- but it was worth it when Rose asked if they could share that. He said that it was extremely dodgy for Time Lords, let alone humans, but again: stubborn. So, he now had his own little spot in her consciousness, and she had one in his. To get used to it they had had mental conversations until Rose fell asleep, and he had shown her how to establish "doors" in her mind if there was anything she didn't want him to see. It made his hearts soar when she told him she'd never need that, only to crash again when he realized how much he still had to hide from her. The War, Bad Wolf, any and all memories of his time as a cross dresser on Sigma Delta Pi… Well, that last one was substantially less important, but still.

Anyway, here they were now, and he shot her an apologetic smile before replying, _"Sorry, love. I just can't believe that she's able to ramble on more than I do."_

Rose chuckled a bit at that, which caused Jackie to look at her strangely. "What are you laughin' about then, ay? It's not funny that that poor girl in 5B went to the nuthouse, even if it was because of a telly show. Should have seen it coming though, honestly. What with her tryin' to summon Moffat with a blue scarf and a purple shirt. She was always a bit kooky, I 'spose. But that's still no reason to laugh, Rose Marion Tyler. You need to show respect."

_"Yeah, Rose. Show respect," _the Doctor thought at her with a false look of reprimanding, though the mischievous twinkle in his eye gave him away.

**_"Oh, come off it,"_** she replied, giving him a no nonsense look. **_"It's not my fault those bloody Sherlock fans aren't half mad."_**

This caused the Doctor to chuckle a bit himself, earning him a glare from Jackie. He stopped just then. "Sorry, do continue."

"Right," Jackie began again. "Well, like I was sayin'…" And she was off again. This particular rant lasted about 15 minutes, with the Doctor carrying on a conversation with Rose in their minds. It was better than hearing what was new on the Estate, that was for sure.

"So, that's about it around here," Jackie finished. "What about you two? You haven't told me anything about what's going on with you." Jackie sat down on the couch next to Rose and motioned for the Doctor to join them. He awkwardly walked over and sat on the Rose's other side, immediately putting his arm around her shoulders and pulling her closer. She curled into his side and put an arm around his waist. They both faced Jackie, who looked like she was trying to work something out. She suddenly gave a gleeful whoop of triumph, making the Time Travelers jump.

"You two are engaged!"

The Doctor immediately reeled back from Rose and opened his mouth to deny it. He ran into a problem, however, when he fell to the floor and all his mouth seemed to want to do was open and shut like a waterless fish. Rose merely chuckled and pulled out her ring, putting it on its rightful place on her finger and showing it to her mum. Jackie oohed and aahed over it, and they began the necessary girl-talk regarding wedding plans.

After the Doctor composed himself, he joined in on their conversation, saying that Rose's dress most definitely needed pockets and that he bar-none refused to wear anything but Converse as his footwear. They continued to chat and half-jokingly plan for an hour or so until they heard a knock on the door. Jackie went to answer it, happily surprised by Jack and Donna. "Oh, come in, come in! The Doctor and Rose are here, and I know they have somethin' they'd like to tell you. Oh, but never mind that, how've you two been? How's married life treatin' ya?" After they greeted each other and got the idle chit-chat out of the way, Donna finally noticed the glimmer of gold on Rose's finger.

"Oh, my God you two got hitched!" This caused the Doctor to fly off the couch again and Rose and Jack to erupt into giggles, Jackie and Donna only smirking at him. He composed himself fairly quickly and jumped back up, willing his blush to go away. **_"What? Are you _****blushing,****_ Doctor?" _**On hearing Rose's teasing in his mind, the Doctor spared a moment to stick his tongue out at her- which thankfully wasn't noticed by anyone else in the room- and he and Rose filled everyone in on the story of their engagement. Jack slapped the Doctor on the back in congratulations as the womenfolk gathered in the kitchen to make tea and discuss clothes and venues and such.

"So, Doc," Jack began, his expression becoming serious. "About last night, what happened with Rose? I thought you took all of that Time Vortex energy out of her."

The Doctor heaved a heavy sigh as his face became sober as well. "I did, too. But… it mutated her, somehow. It melded with her DNA and became a part of her. Her biology is… contaminated in a way. This consciousness in her, this 'Bad Wolf', is Time Lord-like. It's like a separate entity that takes over for her when one of us is in mortal danger, like last night or the Gamestation." He looked up at Jack again with a lost expression, his eyes looking more ancient than ever. "And it's killing her. Her human brain can't contain all of that energy and information and it's burning her. If I don't find a way to get rid of it-" He was cut off as the girls reentered the room, a falsely bright grin taking over his face. "Oh, hello again. Have you already got everything planned? I'm assuming you have." He felt a sense of anger brush her mind form Rose, and he grimaced a bit before sitting back down.

Jack shot him one more worried glance before he too adopted a cheery look and joined in with the planning. _Man, I hope the Doctor knows what he's doing._ He looked up at Rose, and for a moment he thought he saw a glimmer of gold in her eyes. _Otherwise something very bad is about to happen…_

THE Doctor and Rose returned to the TARDIS late that night exhausted but happy. They had planned pretty much the entire ceremony and reception in the afternoon and evening that they were there, and the wedding was supposed to actually happen in just a couple days. Neither of them really wanted to wait very long, and everything was just going to be taken care of in the TARDIS anyway. Rose went to the wardrobe room to find a dress- "Rose, make absolutely certain it has pockets!" "Whatever you say, Doctor…"- and the Doctor stayed in the console room, thinking about how wonderful everything had turned out.

"I'm getting married," he said happily, if half-disbelieving. He let out an astonished and blissful "Whoop!" before yelling "I'M GETTING MARRIED!" to the mainly empty room.

**_Indeed you are, dear Doctor. But what about Bad Wolf? You can't ignore it forever._**

"Oh, aren't you just a bundle of laughs," he said sarcastically, jumping as sparks jumped out at him. "Oi! Fine, I don't know. I have absolutely no idea what I'm going to do and I'm terrified, happy? I might lose her but right now everything is fine and I just want to enjoy this for however long it lasts."

**_Very well. But be careful, my Thief. _**

"I always am. Now," he said, becoming cheery again and clapping his hands together. "Let's finish planning ourselves a wedding."

*~*~TO BE CONTINUED~*~*

* * *

AN: Hey. I know that on some of my secondary AN's lately I've been asking more about you guys, but I want to know if you have any questions for me. You probably don't, but eh. Worth a shot. Also, if anyone cares, I wrote a one-shot that has absolutely nothing to do with this story, if you'd like to check it out. It's Doctor Who 10/Rose as well, but it's total crack. See y'all tomorrow. :-)


	26. Getting Married

AN: Hiiiiiiiiiiiii. So, this is it. _The _chapter. I hope you guys like it, I did try. I have no idea if I wrote Wilf in character, but again. I did try. A million zillion big virtual hugs to all the readers, reviewers, followers, and favoriters. A billion gazillion to Rose's Companion, eruditereader, DragonsAddicted, Kl, and Guest (though I'm pretty sure that was a glitch from DragonsAddicted).

Also, if anyone wants to see Rose's dress, just look here. Hope you guys think it works.

DISCLAIMER: I own nada. Kudos to anyone that notices the movie reference within.

* * *

10ROSE 30-DAY OTP CHALLENGE

DAY 26- Getting Married

*~*~PREVIOUSLY~*~*

They had planned pretty much the entire ceremony and reception in the afternoon and evening that they were there, and the wedding was supposed to actually happen in just a couple days. Neither of them really wanted to wait very long, and everything was just going to be taken care of in the TARDIS anyway. Rose went to the wardrobe room to find a dress- "Rose, make absolutely certain it has pockets!" "Whatever you say, Doctor…"- and the Doctor stayed in the console room, thinking about how wonderful everything had turned out.

"I'm getting married," he said happily, if half-disbelieving. He let out an astonished and blissful "Whoop!" before yelling "I'M GETTING MARRIED!" to the mainly empty room.

* * *

TODAY was the day. The day that the Doctor and Rose would start their new life together. Everything was set up and planned and scheduled, and all that was left now was the actual wedding. The Doctor crept silently through the empty halls of the TARDIS, already wearing his Tux of Doom and trainers. He made it to his room in record time, crouching and enabling his "velociraptor arms" (because they totally help when you tip-toe). He opened his door quietly, relieved when he saw the gently moving lump under his duvet. He heard her frankly atrocious snoring and laughed softly. He crept up to the bed before climbing up, stopping only when he stood up straight with one foot on either side of her torso. He crouched down a bit before springing up, jumping up and down and yelling, "WAKEY WAKEY, ROSIE POSIE!"

Said "Rose Posie" did indeed wake up, looking scared half to death. The Doctor flopped down next to her in a fit of giggles, and she finally recovered enough to smack his arms in righteous indignation. "I can't (smack) believe you'd (smack) _do_ that! (smacksmacksmack!)" She soon joined in with his laughter, though, and they continued on until their sides ached and tears of mirth streamed from their eyes. They got themselves under control in a few minutes, simply lying next to each other and holding each other. "Hello," she said, now in a much nicer tone.

"Hi!" he replied, rubbing his nose with hers, causing her to giggle a bit more.

"Lord, you really have gotten domestic, haven't you?"

"Oi!" he replied, mock-offended. "Is that any way to talk to your soon-to-be husband? Oh, that reminds me," he suddenly said, checking his wristwatch. "Very soon, actually. Come on, budge up. Time to get ready." He kissed her once before jumping up and going to the kitchen. "BREAKFAST'LL BE READY IN 30!"

Rose rolled her eyes in false annoyance before going to the restroom and getting started on her hair and makeup. _I'm getting married today…_ She blinked in surprise at the sudden thought, but her face was soon taken over by a bright smile. "I'm getting married today," she whispered to her reflection, giggling in sheer joy. She was ready in 25 minutes, but she decided to stay in her pajamas for the time being. She'd been doing really well at keeping her dress a secret (with help from the TARDIS, of course), and she intended to keep it that way.

She made her way to the kitchen, trying to stifle a giggle as she came in and saw the Doctor cooking bacon at the stove. It wasn't the cooking that was humorous, of course. It was the fact that he was also dancing around and singing that caused her to laugh.

_"Gooooooin' to the chapel and we're_

_Goooooonna get ma-a-a-aried!"_

"Silly me, I guess," she said, causing the Doctor to jump and flush beet red. "Here I thought the ceremony was gonna be in the TARDIS."

He began trying to stutter out a reply, but she just walked up and wrapped her arms around his waist, continuing to laugh into his back. "You have a lovely singing voice, Doctor."

The Doctor just groaned in humiliation, turning so he could put their breakfast down at the table. "Ugh, I can't believe you actually heard that. I just got really excited about today and-"

"You what?" she said in surprised joy.

The Doctor winced when he realized what he'd said. "I just… got excited. I'm really looking forward to us getting married."

"Me, too, Doctor." They shared a quiet moment before Rose remembered that they were on a schedule. "We'd better hurry up, though. Mum's gonna be here really soon."

The Doctor grimaced at that, still not all too excited about being officially related to Jackie Tyler. One look at Rose reminded him that it would all be worth it. _I love her so much._

Rose laughed a bit for seemingly no reason, but at the Doctor's strange expression she tapped her temple. "I heard that; telepathic link and all. And for the record, I love you, too, ya soppy git."

* * *

IT was time. The Doctor, Jackie, Mickey, Martha, Jack, Donna, Sarah Jane, Luke, and Wilf were all gathered in the Gallifreyan room on the TARDIS. Rose was just about to arrive, and the Doctor was fidgeting like no three people could. Jack, who stood just to his side, told him to calm down, but it was no use. They were all standing in the main meadow just next to the Door, and Wilf stood ready to officiate. He'd been ordained on the internet just a few hours before, and he was very excited that his first wedding would be for "a real, proper alien". Donna and Jack had been asked to be the wedding party, and they couldn't imagine the rest of the guests not being there for their special day.

The Doctor was just about to honest-to-goodness have a panic attack when he felt the comforting presence of Rose's mind in his own. Seconds later, she shyly walked into the room looking, for lack of a better word, radiant. She was wearing a beautiful floor-length dress that seemed to flow ethereally behind her. Her makeup was done softly and naturally, and her hair was delicately pinned up. She was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. A second after he thought this, he saw her blush a bit, and he smiled knowing that his mind was no longer alone.

She made her way to the Doctor and Wilf, and everyone collectively gasped at how lovely she looked. She felt extremely self-conscious being the center of their attention, but one look at the Doctor put everyone else out of her mind. _"You look absolutely beautiful, Rose,"_ she heard him say in her mind. **_"You look pretty good yourself,"_** she replied, causing the Doctor to smile even brighter.

They had decided to have a mash-up sort of wedding, taking some aspects of marriage protocol from Earth and Gallifrey. Wilf looked like he was trying impossibly hard not to laugh as he took a breath to begin. "Mawwage," he began. "Mawwage is wot bwings us togewwa today." Everyone dissolved into giggles at that, and they were all glad that he'd established such a light-hearted atmosphere. He composed himself very quickly and looked up at the group sheepishly. "Sorry about that. Jack paid me 50 quid to say that." The Doctor mock-glared at his best man, who only beamed in response.

"Friends and family, we are gathered here today in the presence of the TARDIS to join this man and this woman in the holy bonds of marriage. It has been brought to my attention that the bride and groom have written their own vows, so let's just let them get to that." Everyone laughed a bit at his bluntness, and Jack and Donna walked up to hand him the rings. Wilf addressed the Doctor first, handing him Rose's ring before saying, "Doctor, if you would."

The Doctor nodded and took Rose's left hand in his and began. "Rose Marion Tyler, before I met you I was lost. You found me, and you gave me a reason to keep going. I would be nothing without you, and you are my everything. I already told you that I want to spend everyday of the rest of our lives showing you all of the most beautiful things in the universe, but all you'd really have to do for that was look in a mirror. Your beauty shines from the inside out, and you are the most loving and compassionate person I've ever met. I will try for the rest of my life to be worthy of you, and I want to thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to try. I love you with all of my hearts- that's right, they're both all yours- and I promise you here and now that that will never stop. I am yours, now and forever." With that, Rose began to cry, and the Doctor wiped her tears away before kissing her on the forehead and slipping the ring on her finger. It was the same one that he had given her when they got engaged, but Rose refused his offers of anything else.

By this point, nearly everyone in the room was a blubbering mess, the love that was so completely evident between the Doctor and Rose reducing them all to tears.

Wilf was only just able to get himself together enough to nod to Rose and say, "Rose, love, it's your turn."

Rose pulled out a piece of paper from her dress pocket- making the Doctor's grin widen impossibly- and read it over once before putting it back. "Doctor, you've shown me all of time and space. We've been together through all of these things- aliens and near-death experiences and all this insanity- and it's the happiest I've ever been in my life. I feel like the luckiest person alive that you chose me, and I just hope that I can someday repay you for all you've done for me. You've shown me the stars, but it's more than that. You're my best friend, and you've shown me the real you. You've told me about your life and your past, and I love you more than I've ever loved anyone in my life. You're the most impossible man I've ever met, and words can't even express how happy that you have me. I love you, Doctor, and I'm yours. Now and forever."

She placed a matching ring on his finger, except the writing was different. She'd gotten the TARDIS' help on translating and engraving, and it said "My Love, My Life, My Home."

"By the power invested in me by Great Britain and . , I pronounce you Time Lord and wife. But, before we get to the kissing bit, there's one other part of the ceremony that needs doing." Wilf motioned for Jackie and Mickey to come forward. He also pulled out a 1-foot sash from his pocket and handed it to the Doctor, who wrapped it around his and Rose's left hands. "Jackie, Mickey, please say 'I consent and freely give'."

At the same time they did so, and the Doctor leaned in and whispered a single word in Rose's ear. She didn't know what it meant, but it brought tears to her eyes. She knew without him saying so that he'd just told her his name, and the fact that he trusted her with that only made her love him more. It sounded so magical, and when he pulled back he had a soft smile on his face.

"Well, this is it. Doctor, you may now kiss the bride."

And that was exactly what he did.

* * *

AN: Thank you guys for reviewing and asking me random questions! In response to said questions,

Rose's Companion: My favorite book is "The Stone Rose" by Jacqueline Rayner, with a remarkably close second being "The Fault in Our Stars" by John Green.

eruditereader: Favorite DW series... I'm going to have to go with S4. It had Donna, who is my third favorite companion, and for crying out loud the Master came back and we met Rassilon! Not to mention the post-Doomsday Drose reunion, which made me start crying (no shame). So, ya. S4 for the win.

DragonsAddicted: The answer to your first question is yes (obvious, I know, but eh). As to your second question, I can neither confirm nor deny, because in the word(s) of River Song, "Spoilers."

The next chapter will be up tomorrow, and something... hopefully unexpected is going to happen. Anybody have any guesses?


	27. On One of Their Birthdays

AN: Hey-O~! Well, we're on the home-stretch now, with only four chapters to go. I'm sad that this is over, but I'm also very excited. If anyone has any ideas or prompts for other stories you'd like me to write, _please_ share them. Without prompts I revert to angst. Angsty angst. Aaaanyway, big thank you and virtual cookies to the readers, reviewers, followers, and favoriters. Huge thank you and virtual cupcakes to TheSexyTardis, MakorraLove97, DragonsAddicted, eruditereader, TheBigBandTwo, Truebluetardis, cupcaki, and Rose's Companion for their reviews. I'm almost at my goal of 100, and that makes me happy beyond words, thank you so much! You guys are all FANTASTIC!

DISCLAIMER: Twinkle Twinkle BBC, please don't sue the pants off me. I know I don't own Doctor Who, I just write for fun, it's true. Twinkle Twinkle BBC, please be merciful to me.

* * *

10ROSE 30-DAY OTP CHALLENGE

DAY 27- On One of Their Birthdays

*~SIX MONTHS AFTER THE WEDDING~*

"ALRIGHT, when's your birthday?"

They were both relaxing in the library after a hard day of adventuring. Because what was supposed to be a harmless, beautiful planet was actually filled with racist aliens that hated anyone and everyone with brown eyes. So of course the Doctor landed them there. Of flipping course he did. Anyway, long story short they had run for their lives, got arrested, finally escaped, and ran for their lives again. Standard day for them, really, but Rose had been feeling a bit ill lately and it really drained her. She'd insisted that they go back to her mum's the next day, but for now they were just talking about everything and nothing. They'd finally decided on playing Truth or Dare, and they both felt like kids as they did so.

The Doctor adopted a look of intense concentration as he pulled Rose closer to him in a hug. They were stretched lengthwise on the couch, with Rose lying on her stomach on top of him and her chin resting on his chest. "I honestly have no idea. It's been centuries since I did anything for my birthday. The last 'party' I had was just me and my parents when I was seven. They got me a silver pocket watch," he finished with a nostalgic smile. He snapped back into the present and asked, "Truth or dare?"

"Hm… dare."

"I dare you to kiss me."

"Doctor," she complained with a laugh. "You've used that dare _three times_ already. You've got to think of something else!"

"Fine, be like that." He shook his head as he tried to think of a new dare. "Okay, I dare you to put on your pajamas and let us go to sleep."

She laughed at him again before jumping up and going towards their room. "Alright. I'm gonna call Mum real quick and warn her that we're coming over. I'll see you in a bit, 'kay?"

"Alright, love."

As soon as Rose was into the hallway, she broke into a run as she tried to get to their room. She stopped by at the bathroom and promptly emptied the contents of her stomach before taking an anti-nausea pill and brushing her teeth to get rid of the smell. She didn't want to worry the Doctor, as she was fairly sure it was just a stomach bug or something. She dialed her mum on her phone and after a few rings she heard, "Rose! How've you been?"

"I've been great, Mum. Hey, I was wondering if the Doctor and I could come by tomorrow. Is that too short notice, or-"

She was cut off, however, by her mother's happy squeal. "Yesyesyes! Oh, I've missed you so much, Rose. I can't wait to see you two. Oh, and I'll have to make your Doctor my shepherd's pie; I know how much he likes it. Has he been putting on any weight? They say that most people put on about ten pounds in the first year after they get married. Or is he still a walking bean pole? Not that that's bad, mind; I know you love him anyway. Oh, and then-"

"Mum!" Rose cut her off with a laugh. "I'll tell you everything tomorrow. For now, though, d'you think you could put together a party before tomorrow? I'll help as much as I can when I get there, but, um… Well, it's like… The Doctor hasn't had a birthday party since he was a kid, and he doesn't even remember what his birthday really is, but I just thought it'd be nice to give him a party. I don't know, am I just bein' silly?"

"Of course not, Rose. That's a really sweet idea. Yeah, if you can just keep him out of the flat for a while I'll get everything sorted. I'll see you in the morning, alright, love?"

"Great Mum. Thank you so much! I'll see you later." Just before she hung up, though, she had another thought. "Oh, and could you get me a doctor's appointment for tomorrow?"

* * *

"BUT, Roooooose," the Doctor whined the next day. "Why do I have to hang out with Jack all day while you spend time with your mum? I _like_ your mum, and Jack's just a bully. And what if Donna comes, too? She calls me a Martian! Do you know how offensive that is? I'd rather get a slap from your mother!"

Rose just laughed at her Doctor as they walked up to the Harkness' new flat in Cardiff. "I'm sorry, Doctor. But I told you already that Mum and I just need some girl time. And I know that Donna's not coming with you two because she spending the day with us. Jack's gonna take you to Mum's flat tonight and we're all gonna have dinner tonight. Besides," she said with a soft grin. **_"It's not like you're not going to be able to talk to me throughout the day," _**she finished mentally.

"I guess you're right," he conceded with a sigh as she knocked at the door.

"Hey! Jack, it's Rosie and her Martian," Donna yelled back into the flat after seeing the Doctor and Rose there. Rose couldn't help but laugh at the Doctor's groan at being called a Martian.

"I'll see you tonight, okay?" she asked him before giving him a soft kiss.

"Fine," he grumbled. "Have a nice day, alright?"

"'Course." And with that, the girls were heading back to London.

"So, Doc…" Jack began.

And the Doctor knew in that moment that this was going to be a _very_ long day.

* * *

"ALRIGHT, Miss Tyler. I just need to check on those tests and then you'll be on your way," Dr. Milligan told her. They were at her doctor's, trying to figure out what had made her so sick for the past few days. Her mum was still at the flat setting up for the party with Mickey and Martha, so it was just Rose and Donna. Rose had gone as white as a sheet when he'd had her take a pregnancy test, but the results were still pending. After he'd gone she had explained to Donna how that should be impossible, but she then realized that she was showing many of the symptoms.

"So, you and Spaceman…" Donna trailed off with waggling eyebrows.

"Just shut up," Rose mumbled with a blush, causing Donna to start laughing like mad.

"Well, Miss Tyler, the results are in," Dr. Milligan said with a smile as he came back into the room. "Congratulations; you're going to be a mother."

It was all a blur for Rose after that, with Donna congratulating her and then running a bunch of other tests. She only snapped out of it when they handed her a photo from the ultrasound, and she saw the child that was growing inside of her. She burst into tears at that, holding on to Donna and just being so incredibly _happy_ that it took everything in her not to scream in the Doctor's mind what was happening. Instead, she put a mental door on that information, along with the plans for the birthday party. And she now knew the perfect present.

* * *

THE Doctor, on the other hand, was _not_ happy. After being continually hit on and interrogated by Jack for the better part of two hours, he had finally decided to just dwell on what was wrong with Rose, questioning the Doctor on absolutely everything.

"But, Doc, what could possibly have triggered her like this? She took out the Cult of Skaro with her mind! They were nothing but ash. How could she possibly have that kind of power? I thought you took it out of her."

"I thought so, too," he snapped back. "But obviously not because she can still turn Bad Wolf and she died but she regenerated and I think I might lose her, Jack, and there will be nothing I can do I don't know how to save her I don't even know if she _can_ be saved and I'm beginning to panic because what if something goes wrong? What will I do? There's nothing I can do to help her because _I don't know what's wrong_!" He was yelling by the end of this, tears pricking his eyes as he ran his hands through his hair in frustration. He jumped up and began pacing, but when he noticed that Jack hadn't replied. He saw that his friend only looked towards him with a sad expression, and that was enough to calm him. He sat back down and hung his head. "I'm sorry, Jack. I shouldn't have blown up on you like that. It's just… I don't even know."

"I understand, Doc," he replied, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Just tell me what I can do when the time comes, and I'll do anything. I'll help however I can."

"Thank you, Jack," he said with a tired smile. "I'll let you know."

"Great. Now, before we go to Jackie's," he said with a grin. "Let's get some drinks."

* * *

ROSE and Donna finished their business in town and were able to help with the preparations soon after. Her mother had squealed in delight once again when Rose showed her the ultrasound picture, and she could hardly wait to be a grandmother. Mickey and Martha offered themselves as Uncle and Aunt, and Donna did the same for herself and Jack. This almost set Rose off crying again, but she was able to keep herself controlled. They had everything set up with presents laid out, dinner cooked, and a cake baked and decorated by half past 6. Donna called Jack telling him to go ahead and bring the Doctor over, and Rose mentally prepared herself for breaking the news to him.

They arrived very soon after, and they all jumped out to yell, "Surprise!" The Doctor was confused at first, thinking that it was all for Jack.

"Oh, you didn't tell me it was your birthday! Happy Birthday, Jack!"

"Oi, you idiot of a Spaceman," Donna interrupted with a laugh. "This is for _you._ Rose set it all up. With help, of course. Happy Birthday, Doctor."

There was a chorus of "Happy Birthday" from the others and the Doctor started to get misty eyed. "Wha? I mean, you all- But how- Why- What?!"

Rose took mercy on him after a few more minutes of his stuttering and gaping. "Remember how yesterday you said you hadn't had a real birthday in a long time? Well, I asked Mum and everyone if they'd like to help me fix that. Happy Unofficial Birthday, Doctor."

"Oh, well that's- that's brilliant!" He beamed at all of them. "Aw, thank you! I- I just- thank you!"

They all laughed and chatted as they ate dinner- "I made shepherd's pie, Doctor. Your favorite." "Thank you, Jackie!"- and then it was time for cake. "Chocolate cake! Oh, this looks wonderful. Aw," he hadn't stopped smiling since he'd came in through the doors. "Thank you, guys!" They all chimed in with the birthday song, and then it was time for him to make a wish. _I wish I could help Rose,_ he thought to himself, careful to block the thought from his wife. After that was out of the way, they all set to work on eating the cake (or scarfing it down like a savage, like the Doctor).

"Alright, then," Rose announced soon after. "Time for presents! Let's go to the living room, yeah?"

"I- I get presents too?" the Doctor asked in confusion.

"Well of course you do, Doctor," Jack told him matter-of-factly. "What else would happen at a birthday party?"

"I… I don't know." His bemused expression was soon replaced with one of sheer bliss as they all went to where a small pile of boxes lay on the floor. "Oh, thank you thank you thank you!" he exclaimed, taking time to hug everyone (and kiss Rose, of course).

"Alright, ours first, Doctor," Mickey said. The Doctor took the package he was handed and shook it before tenderly opening it. Inside he found two books, entitled "50 Mathematical Ideas You Really Need to Know" by Tony Crilly, and "Albert Einstein's Relativity", which provided an easy-to-follow explanation of the theories.

"Oh, thank you! I remember when good ol' Al came up with that theory. I should take this to him; he'd get a right laugh out of that. Not at the book, because that's absolutely brilliant. But poor Al had some self-confidence issues; never thought anyone'd listen to him. Which reminds me of- And I'm rambling again." He took a deep breath and squashed down his embarrassment before again saying, "Thank you," to Mickey and Martha. Rose gave his hand an encouraging squeeze, and that small touch was enough to ground him and bring the bright smile back to his face.

The rest of the gift-giving passed in much the same way, with the Doctor receiving a telescope kit from Jack and Donna- "It was Gramps' idea. I told him it was silly, but-" "No, Donna, it's _perfect_!"; a scarf/hat/mitten set from Jackie- "I'm sorry they're not that good, I didn't have that much time to make 'em-" "But, Jackie, they're _blue! _That's brilliant!"; and then it was time for Rose to present her present. It was the smallest of all of them, just a little rectangle that seemed a bit heavy for its size. The Doctor took even more time removing the star-covered paper, and when he did he saw the back of a small photo frame. Confused, he turned it over and saw what looked like an ultrasound. The Doctor looked to Rose in bemusement, and she looked down at her stomach in response before looking back to him with a shy smile. "No…" he breathed.

Rose took this the wrong way and immediately began apologizing, saying, "Oh, I'm sorry, Doctor. I just found out today and I didn't- I mean please don't be mad I just- I'm sorry."

"What could you possibly be sorry about?" he asked with a huge smile. "This is- well, I mean it's- Rose, we're gonna be parents!" He gave a whoop of joy at that before jumping up and twirling Rose around in a circle. He set her back down and kissed her before pulling back with his megawatt grin. "I'm gonna be a dad," he said in happy surprise.

"Yeah, you are," she replied with a laugh. Everyone in the room began applauding, congratulating them both and already making plans for a baby shower.

The time travelers made their way back to the TARDIS a few hours later with books, a telescope, and knitted winter-wear in tow. The Doctor's dreams that night were filled with himself, Rose, and a little girl with his fluffy brown hair and her warm honey eyes, and it actually made him wish he slept longer than a few hours at a time.

But then everything hit him like a physical blow, because in his happiness he had forgotten one very important fact: humans couldn't give birth to Time Lords.

*~*~TO BE CONTINUED~*~*

* * *

AN: Hi, me again, sorry. Just wanted to let anyone know who cares that I've started a new story. It'll probably be about 5 chapters (unless I can think of something else to do with it) and it'll be updated every other day or so. It's called "The Liar, the Glitch, and the War Drone", and it _will_ be 10Rose. Just if anyone would want to look at it.


	28. Doing Something Ridiculous

AN: Hullo, friends. I can't believe that this'll be over in two days. It's been super great, and I'm glad that I've gotten this far, but it's weird to know that we're so close to the end. I want to thank you guys so much for the support that you've given. Thank you to all of the readers, reviewer, followers, and favoriters. Special thank you to Raineh14, MakorraLove97, Rose's Companion, DragonsAddicted, Truebluetardis, Emmyj3, and eruditereader for their reviews on the last chapter. You guys are all so sweet, and it means the world to me.

Also, HOLY TARDIS OF GALLIFREY THIS STORY HAS 100 REVIEWS! You guys just- I mean you- you all deserve bananas. Go, go eat a banana because you are wonderful.

DISCLAIMER: Nope, sorry, no Doctor Who ownership here. That'd be fantastic, but it's never gonna happen. Alas!

* * *

10ROSE 30-DAY OTP CHALLENGE

DAY 28- Doing Something Ridiculous

*~*~PREVIOUSLY~*~*

The time travelers made their way back to the TARDIS a few hours later with books, a telescope, and knitted winter-wear in tow. The Doctor's dreams that night were filled with himself, Rose, and a little girl with his fluffy brown hair and her warm honey eyes, and it actually made him wish he slept longer than a few hours at a time.

But then everything hit him like a physical blow, because in his happiness he had forgotten one very important fact: humans couldn't give birth to Time Lords.

* * *

HE worked his way out of Rose's unconscious embrace, frantically searching for her mobile. He stepped out into the hallway before dialing Jack's phone number, not caring that it was 3 a.m. for Earth.

"Ugh, what's up, Doc?" came Jack's groggy voice after a few rings.

"Jack, I need your help."

The Doctor's scared tone made Jack's ice run cold. "What's going on, Doctor?"

"Rose."

"You land the TARDIS and I'll be there in five minutes."

* * *

THE Doctor was able to land the TARDIS in the right time and place without too much turbulence, and he went to check that Rose was still asleep before he exited the TARDIS and ran for the Harknesses' flat. Donna opened the door, immediately interrogating him on what was wrong. He deflected all of the questions as well as he could, but when Jack invited him into his study he let it all out.

"Alright, Doctor, what's wrong with Rosie?"

The Doctor sighed heavily before replying, "It's not possible for her to be pregnant, Jack. Humans and Time Lords aren't compatible for reproduction. It's a complete physical impossibility. If she tried to carry the child to term- Let's just say, neither of them would survive." By this point the Doctor was in a frenzy, pulling at his hair and pacing like a madman.

"Okay, first, calm down. Let's think about this: she can't be pregnant, but she is. How can that be possible?"

"Oh!" the Doctor suddenly exclaimed. "Of course! Oh, she was right all along, I just couldn't _see_ it!"

Jack looked at his alien friend in confusion, wondering where the sudden burst of inspiration was coming from. "Who was right? What did you not see, Doc?"

"Rose!" he exclaimed. "Rose knew the whole time. Well, something that had taken over Rose's mind. Well, something that had melded with Rose's mind. Anyway, the point is, I know what needs to be done," he finished with a manic grin. "First I need to run some numbers, do some tests, check some parts of the TARDIS, but yeah it should work. It's entirely and unimaginably ridiculous but we have to do it."

"Seriously, Doc," Jack snapped in annoyance. "What do we have to do?"

"We have to rewrite Rose's DNA."

* * *

"DOCTOR, you tell me everything right now or I'm sicking my wife and Jackie Tyler on you." Jack and the Doctor had made their way back to the TARDIS, Donna staying behind at her husband's insistence. They were careful to get to the med bay silently, not wanting to wake Rose.

"Oh, that- that's just cruel; why would you even _think_ to threaten me with that?" Jack only glared in response. "Right," the Doctor began awkwardly. "Anyway, yes, beginning! Beginning is a great place to start a story. Okay, so remember the Gamestation? Ooh, that should be like our inside-joke version of 'Remember the Alamo'; wouldn't that be brilliant? Anyway, Rose looked into the heart of the TARDIS and absorbed the entirety of the Time Vortex. All of that energy; all of that knowledge, it swirled around in her brain until it overwhelmed her. That's how she was able to kill the Emperor and save you: she was able to utilize the energy she received and focus it. I thought that I'd taken it all out of her, but over the past year or so 'Bad Wolf' has kept popping u, in words, like her message, and also 'Bad Wolf' the person. There's no way I can stop it, but that's a good thing! That's brilliant, even. Because, you see, I was too focused on not letting her mind burn to realize something: it didn't go away because it's a part of her. It somehow melded with her DNA, causing her to become a humany-Vortexy-hybrid of sorts. Not really a Time Lord, but honestly more than a bit comparable. But," and by this point he had already run around the entirety of the med bay six times and checked no less than 57 charts and devices. "And here's the strange part. _But_ the Time Vortex energy alone wasn't enough to completely alter her biological make up. We need one more thing to make her wholly Time Lord, allowing her to carry the child and, and this is the unbelievably fantastic part: she'll live as long as I do. We can… have the same kind of forever. Isn't that top banana?" He beamed at Jack as he turned to face him, but Jack only looked back at him with a flummoxed expression.

"How on Earth are we supposed to make her a Time Lord?"

"Well, I think it'd be more accurate to say 'How on Gallifrey?'"

* * *

ROSE woke up a few hours later when she was thrown from her bed as the TARDIS shuddered. "Blimey, old girl, what's wrong, eh?" She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and put on a dressing gown before making her way to the console room. It wasn't really uncommon for the Doctor to sneak there in the middle of the night, seeing as how he needed much less sleep. She wasn't surprised this morning, then, when she saw that it was only 5:30 and he was gone. She made her way into the hallway and hissed a bit when her feet touched the cold floor.

She was met with a surprise, however, when she saw none other than Jack Harkness in the console room with her Doctor. "J-Jack?"

"Rosie Posie!" he greeted her, pulling her into a hug and pressing a kiss to the top of her hair. "Long time no see, huh?"

"It's only been a few hours," she said, shaking her head with a confused expression on her face. "Not to be mean, but what are you doin' here? I mean, it's nice and all but, it's 5 o'clock in the mornin'…"

"Uh, let's let the Doctor answer that one, Rosie."

She turned to the Doctor with a look that said "Explain yourself," making the Doctor more than a bit scared. "Well, erm, you see it's- well it's kind of- Jack."

"Now, I don't care who does it," Rose said in a very no-nonsense tone. "I really don't, but one of you is gonna tell me what's goin' on _now._"

"Looks like someone's already got the whole mom thing down pat," Jack mumbled under his breath, earning him a glare from said mom. He smiled back at her sheepishly and she turned her glare on the Doctor.

"Well, Rose, it's kind of a long story," the Doctor began awkwardly.

"Good thing we don't have any plans, then," she replied, walking over to the console and settling herself in the jumpseat. She crossed her arms over her chest defiantly and nodded for him to begin. "Talk."

"Well, it's like this…" and over the next ten minutes he explained the whole situation to her, showing her charts and graphs and schematics. "…So, that's why we figured that it'd be safest to use the Chameleon Arch to alter your DNA and make you fully Time Lord," the Doctor finished. He was a bit concerned, seeing that Rose hadn't said anything during his whole speech.

Rose took in a shaky breath and put a protective hand over her stomach before finally speaking. "So, for more than two years this has been happenin' to me, and I've had this… impossible amount of energy just runnin' through my head? And you've kept it from me, and _lied_ about it to me for all this time?" Her words were soft and calm, but they held a fierce bitterness that took the Doctor by surprise.

"Rose, if I hadn't… you would have died," he said with tears in his eyes. "The sheer amount of information and energy would have overwhelmed your mental synapses. Your brain would have, for lack of a better word, short-circuited."

She only nodded, trying to fight the tears that she felt stinging her eyes. "And even telling me or letting me remember would have triggered that?"

"Exactly."

Rose seemed to be fighting with herself over something, but after a few silent moments she said, "Alright, then. I guess I need to become a Time Lord. What do I need to do?"

"Rose, wait," the Doctor said hurriedly, kneeling down in front of her and taking her hand in his own. "You need to seriously consider this. This is a decision that is irreversible, and it's going to have serious repercussions."

"I have thought about it, Doctor. Cons: it's probably gonna hurt a lot; I'm gonna be hated more than usual by aliens- especially Daleks; and I'm gonna outlive everyone that I care about on Earth, like Mickey and Mum. I can't even imagine livin' the rest of my life without her, and I'd never want to."

The Doctor sighed at that, because he knew she was right and there was nothing he could do to change any of it. "I'm sorry, love. I promise that I _will_ work out something that'll work just as well- better even. I just need to-"

"Oi," she interrupted him. "I wasn't finished. Pros: our baby will be safe; I'll get to spend hundreds of years with you and her; I guess I'll be a lot safer when we go to other planets, with regenerating and all that; and most importantly," she said, reaching her free hand out to cup his cheek. "You won't be the last anymore. You'll have other people like you, and we'll all be a family. The choice is clear, Doctor. Just tell me how to make it happen."

The Doctor couldn't believe the impossibly wonderful woman before him. She was willing to give up her species, her remaining normalcy, and even her family to stop him from being alone. "Rose, I…"

"I know, Doctor," she said with a soft smile and a slight laugh. "Let's just go ahead and get it over with, alright? You really didn't say anything when I guessed it would hurt a lot, and I'm not really looking forward to that bit."

"Right!" And with that the Doctor was running all around the console, taking them into the Vortex.

"Is that gonna, I dunno, stabilize the reaction or anythin'?" Rose asked, perplexed by his actions.

"Not really, no," he replied. "I just don't want Donna to barge in."

"Hey!"

"Oh, shush, Jack. You know she'd kill first, ask questions later."

"Well, yeah," Jack conceded. His eyes suddenly widened in fear when he said, "But don't tell her I said that!"

"Wouldn't dream of it," the Doctor assured him with one last pull of a lever, and the TARDIS took off with a great shudder. Once they were safely floating about in the Vortex, the Doctor pulled up the controls for the Chameleon Arch, recalibrating it for

Human-to-Time-Lord, without external consciousness. A metal half-helmet came down from the ceiling, with a watch-shaped circular dent marking its front. "Now, Rose, once I start this there's no going back. I won't be able to stop it. It's going to hurt like nothing you've ever experienced before, and you're going to be weak for several days after this. It's going to take quite a while to adjust to the changes, and old memories of the Bad Wolf will keep resurfacing. Now, knowing all that, are you still sure about this?"

Rose didn't even hesitate before she said, "I'm sure. I promised you forever, Doctor, and that's what we're gonna have."

The Doctor took a moment to press a soft kiss to her lips before handing her the helmet. "Don't put that on until I tell you." Before she could ask him what he was doing, he walked over to Jack. "Now, Jack, I'm gonna need for you to restrain me. Rose is going to be in a lot of pain, and I'm probably going to try to get to her. But that would mess up the calibration and both of us would be seriously injured. Don't let me go near her, alright? Not until the change is complete."

Jack nodded solemnly and wrapped his arms around the Doctor. He smirked as he said, "Never thought you'd ask me to hold you close, Doc."

The Doctor just rolled his eyes before focusing on Rose again. "Whenever you're ready, Rose."

She took a deep breath before setting the helmet on her head. Seconds later, golden light erupted from within her, spilling a magnificent glow all around her. A scream ripped from her throat from the immense pain, and the Doctor unthinkingly began to struggle in Jack's arms, trying to get to her and help her. "Jack, let me go! No, Jack, she's in pain! LET ME GO!"

"Doctor, calm down! She'll just get hurt if you go to her." The Doctor didn't stop struggling, though, and Jack could only tighten his grip and hope that Rose would be okay.

She felt like every cell in her body was on fire. The pain was so overwhelming that she was surprised she was able to remain conscious. She felt herself screaming, but she couldn't hear anything over the blood rushing in her ears and the beating of her heart… wait, heart_s_. There were two now. And her head hurt to the point that she thought it would burst, but now so many images ran through it: the Dalek Emperor turning to dust as her vision was tinted with the gold that now surrounded her; saving the Doctor at downing street just a few months before; and now, she opened her eyes and saw the Doctor struggling to reach her. "D-Doctor…" and with that, she slouched forward as the pain and light receded. She pulled in a shaky breath and took the helmet off.

The Doctor rushed forward immediately, asking her if she was okay, did she hurt, was she going to be alright. She smiled at him and nodded. "I'm fine, Doctor, I just feel… weird. And tired. I think I just need some… sleep…" And then her vision went black.

* * *

SHE awoke hours later back in her and the Doctor's room, his arms wrapped around her middle and his face buried into her hair. Her back was pressed against his front, and she felt incredibly safe and content. She decided against waking him up, instead just thinking over the morning's new developments. Namely, the development of a second heart and a respiratory bypass system. She also focused on another development, and reached her mind out into her now 3-month-old child's consciousness, finding that their telepathic link had been strengthened after her transformation. She was so looking forward to talking to the Doctor about everything she could now sense and feel, but right as she was about to wake him up she yawned loudly and felt herself grow tired once again, and she fell asleep to the sound of six heartbeats, and she had never felt more contented.

* * *

AN: Random question time again: what's you guys' favorite movie, TV show, and/or book? For me it's "The Decoy Bride", "Doctor Who", and "The Stone Rose." Also, can anyone recommend a cool 10Rose or 9Rose fanfic? I've been looking for something cool to read for a while. And finally, I'm dying a bit inside because I started watching S7 of Doctor Who today (though I only got to episode 3) and when I watched "Asylum of the Daleks" I started shipping Whouffle immediately. And then that _stupid_ ending. I just... erg. It hurt. In here. *points to heart*. I'll just shut up now, sorry.


	29. Doing Something Sweet

AN: Hi, friends! So, this is the beginning of the end, I suppose. It's been a great ride, and you've all been marvelous. Thank you so much to all those that read, reviewed, followed, and/or favorited. Special thanks to MakorraLove97, Rose's Companion, Zoe, GriffinGirl8655, Emmyj3, Melody-Mels-River, Truebluetardis, DragonsAddicted, and tweetybird91 for their reviews. 14 yesterday alone, so that's fantastic for reviews. You guys have all been so nice and lovely and all-in-all wonderful, and I'd like to give you all a big hug. *hug*

DISCLAIMER: 29 chapters later, and they still won't give me Doctor Who. It's incredibly rude of them, I think.

* * *

10ROSE 30-DAY OTP CHALLENGE

DAY 29- Doing Something Sweet

THE Doctor and Rose were walking through the tall red grass when she first felt it. She felt something brush the back of her mind, and somehow she felt- no, she _knew_ that it was their child. She smiled brightly up at the Doctor, and he beamed in response.

"Did you feel that, too?"

"Yeah, I did," she replied with a laugh, and even with her now quite full stomach (she was 7 months along already), he picked her up and twirled her in the air, laughing in such a carefree way that Rose's hearts soared. He set her back down and pulled her in for a kiss before they continued on their trek to the small cottage at the bottom of the hill. Once inside, the Doctor started making them tea and Rose sat down on the dark blue couch in the living area. The Doctor joined her minutes later and Rose snuggled into him, her back against his side and her legs stretched out before her. The Doctor's arm snaked around her shoulders and his hand rested on her protruding stomach. He felt the soft kicking of their child and hid his smile in his wife's hair.

"Rose, you're pregnant."

She laughed a bit at this, surprised by his sudden glee. "Well, yes. I've kind of been that way for a few months now, Doctor."

"But, we're gonna have a baby."

"Again: it's been that way for months."

"But I'm gonna be a dad again," he said insistently, this time tearing up a bit.

Rose turned to face him and was alarmed when she saw the tears on his face. "Sweetheart? What's wrong?"

"Oh, no, nothing's wrong," he assured her with a smile. "I'm crying cos I'm happy. Lord, what a human thing to do." This last observation earned him a smack on the shoulder, but a sparkling grin accompanied it so he couldn't complain. They just sat in silence for a while, enjoying being together without a world to save or an adventure to have.

"So, Doctor, I'm a Time Lord now."

"Well, look who's pointing out the obvious now."

Rose spared a moment to once again smack him on the shoulder before continuing. "Shush; I wasn't finished. Anyway, everyone calls you 'the Doctor', even though that's not your real name. And you told me about someone called 'the Master'. Do all Time Lords get titles?"

"Yes, actually. There's this big what-to-do whenever we finish our time at the Academy, and that's when everyone chooses their title."

"Why'd you choose 'Doctor'?"

"Well, I've always liked helping people. Time Lords didn't really need doctors, what with our superior biology and all, and it never felt like my people needed me for anything. But other civilizations needed doctors, and I wanted to help whoever needed me, so I choose that title, stole a TARDIS, and went to help. I'm pretty happy with how it all turned out, really. Cos if I hadn't been so determined to save Earth from the Nestene Consciousness, I would have never met a certain shop girl," he finished with a wink.

"That's really sweet, Doctor."

"Thanks," he beamed. They went back into quiet for a while before the Doctor jumped with a sudden thought. "Wait! You haven't picked a title yet! You've been a Time Lord for what, four months now? You have to pick a title, Rose!" He sat them up straight and took Rose's hands in his and looked at her very seriously. It didn't really have the desired effect, seeing that Rose just tried her hardest not to giggle.

"Well, let's see. I could be 'the Nurse', and it would be like a couple thing." The Doctor shook his head at that, and she shot him her signature smile. "That's alright; I was only kiddin'. Hm, does it have to be just one word?"

"No. It could be anything, really. Just whatever you identify with."

"Well, then I think it's rather obvious."

"Oh?" he asked in surprise.

"Yeah. Bad Wolf."

"Hm. Let's see. 'The Doctor and the Bad Wolf'," he said with false grandeur. His voice returned to normal as he smiled down at her. "Aw, I like that. Oh, that sounds brilliant. Good job, Rose- oh, sorry. Good job, Bad Wolf."

Rose laughed at his enthusiasm. "I don't have to howl whenever the moon comes out, do I?"

"No, but I'd definitely enjoy seeing that. Make sure it's in public so you can be taken to the nuthouse as soon as possible afterwards." The Doctor rubbed his sore arm as it received its third blow of the day, and he pouted at her as though he was a puppy and she'd kicked him.

"You really like it, though?"

"I really do, Wolf."

They continued to talk of his home and how Rose was adjusting, until the felt another brush in their minds from their child. "Oh, that's just gonna keep creepin' me out. I dunno how I'm ever gonna get used to it."

"Oh, you'll do fine," he reassured her. "It's weird at first, but once you get used to it it's really quite comforting."

"Speaking of the baby, we might wanna start thinkin' of a name."

"Ooh! I've been waiting for this. I have so many ideas for our daughter's name. And I drew up some designs for her nursery- I have them all in my sketchbook. And I've been thinking of where we should take her on her first trip in time and space. What are your thoughts? Because I was thinking, after taking her to your mother's of course, that we could go see Walt Disney. And of course her first movie would have to be 'The Lion King', and then we'd-"

"Doctor."

"Right, sorry, I guess I got a bit ahead of myself there," he said in a rush as he awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. Rose was so happy seeing him get excited about their new addition, and seeing that only added to her own joy.

"It's okay, but let's focus on one thing at a time, alright?"

"Brilliant!" he exclaimed, his bright smile firmly back in place. "What do you want to decide on first?"

"Let's go with the name."

"Okay," he began, sitting back further into the couch and pretending to stroke a beard that he didn't have. "Well, it's a girl so that rules out 'Alonzo'-"

"No, the name itself rules out 'Alonzo'."

"Aw," the Doctor pouted a bit at that. "Well, no matter. Your name is Rose, so we could continue that floral theme and name her Lilly?"

Roses' nose scrunched up at that as she felt a brush against her mind that felt decidedly like a 'no'. "She doesn't like that."

"Course she doesn't. Erm, we could name her after your mum?" Rose simply glared at him. "Thank Rassilon you didn't like that one. I think I'd cringe every time I said her name. How about Hermione?"

"I'm sorry, but I really don't want to name our daughter after a fictional character."

"Yeah, that one was a long shot at best. Well, there was one name I always kind of liked…"

"Yeah?" she said, smiling genuinely again.

"You have to promise not to laugh." At her confused promise, he took a deep breath and said, "Quintavious. It has an American origin, and technically it's a boy's name, but I've always loved the sound of it. It means 'healthy and strong', and I just- I just thought it sounded lovely. And I know that it's kind of a mouthful, but we could call her Quin for short. What do you think?"

Rose thought about it for a moment and was about to say that it sounded a bit to… odd, but one look at the Doctor's silently pleading face and she melted. "'Quin'… I love it, Doctor." She felt a sense of approval from the back of her mind and smiled. "And she likes it, too."

"Brilliant!" he exclaimed, pulling them both in for a big hug. "Oh, thankyouthankyouthankyou, Rose!" He continued to hold them both for a long moment before pulling back with the blindingly bright smile still in place. "What about a middle name? You should pick it."

"Well, I was thinking 'Idris'. I don't really know why, but the name just sounded… right, I guess."

"'Quintavious Idris Tyler'. Well, that just sounds brilliant! Rose," he said in near-shock. "Our baby has a _name_! Isn't that top banana?"

"I guess it is," she replied with a laugh. "Oh, she's gonna get teased so much in school with a name like that, though."

"Nonsense. No offense, Rose, but I think I know more about, well, everything than a whole school full of teachers. No, our daughter is getting home-schooled. And just imagine history class, Rose! We could actually show her all of it, have her meet the people and experience the culture hands-on. Definitely home-school for our daughter."

Rose only hummed in amused agreement at the thought of the Doctor teaching their daughter. "Right then, on to the next order of business: where's the nursery going to be and how's it gonna look?"

"Oh! I have plans for that. Allons-y, Rose Tyler." And with that, the Doctor jumped off the couch with Rose's hand in his. They ran (as much as Rose could, anyway) up the hill and through the door to the Gallifrey room back into the main corridors of the TARDIS. They didn't stop their running (Rose's speed-waddling) until they returned to their room. The Doctor promptly flopped onto the bed on his stomach and patted the space next to him for Rose to join him. As Rose made her way over the Doctor dug into a drawer on the nightstand and searched for his sketchbook. "So, here are my designs," he began, and they spent the next hour or so pouring over the various sketches, swatches, and snippets from magazines. They finally decided on a design and the TARDIS mentally let them know that she was going to work on it and that it would be ready in a day or so. The room would adjoin to theirs and they would be able to hear if anything happened in the room. They thanked her profusely, and just as Rose was about to suggest a new topic of conversation she let out a mighty yawn.

The Doctor chuckled at that and pushed her towards the closet so she could change into her pajamas. "You know, I thought that it was just because you were a human that you slept so much. Turns out you're just a wimp when it comes to staying up late." The Doctor was silenced by a pillow that hit him square in the face, and he and Rose spared a few minutes to engage in glorious pillow battle before the Doctor surrendered. "Ack!" he exclaimed as he pulled a down feather out of his mouth. "These taste _awful_. And why in the world would I have a pillow battle with my mouth open?"

They accepted it as nothing but a quirk as Rose settled into bed. The Doctor pulled her as close to him as he could and bent down to press a kiss to her stomach before doing the same to her mouth. "Goodnight, Rose, and goodnight, Quin." Rose fell asleep that night with the Doctor's arms around her and a contented smile on her face, certain that life could never be better.

* * *

AN: I can't believe that tomorrow is the last chapter! I'm so sad that this is gonna be over. You guys have all been wonderful, and I just want to give you all another big thank-you. Are there any bits of random trivia about yourselves that you'd like me to know? Or any random questions for me?


	30. Doing Something Hot

AN: This is it. This is the chapter, the chapter that ends it all. I can't believe that it's been 30 days already, but here we are. Humongous thank you to the readers, reviewer, followers, and favoriters. This story has had over 6,000 views, more than 20 faves and follows, and over 100 reviews. Thank you all so incredibly much. You guys have made this an incredible experience and I hope you enjoy the conclusion. Special thanks to Rose's Companion, MakorraLove97, GriffinGirl8655, Truebluetardis, DetectiveInspectorSydney, Emmyj3, DragonsAddicted, cupcaki, Zoe, eruditereader, Whovian 13, tweetybird 91, and TheBigBangTwo for their reviews.

**News Regarding Possible Sequel:**See secondary author's note at the end of the chapter.

DISCLAIMER: After all this time, they still won't give me the rights. I'm extremely cross now, of course. The nerve of BBC, right?

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10ROSE 30-DAY OTP CHALLENGE

DAY 30- Doing Something Hot

IT felt like her entire body was on fire. It was so flipping _hot._ And the Doctor was being absolutely useless, standing off to the side and flapping his gob. He wouldn't _shut up._ And she was really considering murdering him. Who knows? Maybe the next regeneration would be less annoying in times of crisis. "Doctor?" she was able to gasp out.

"Rose!" And with that he was by her side, holding her hand and wiping her forehead. "What do you need, sweethearts? We've got anything and everything right here, see? We have water or your mum or Mickey or Jack or Donna or Martha or me or the TARDIS. Who do you need? What do you need? You just say the word and you'll have anything you need. Just let me know. Really, Rose, just say what you need and it's yours. Do you need water? Nice drink of water? Need painkillers? We have a bunch of different kinds of painkillers. Can't have aspirin, though. That wouldn't be good. Other than that you can have any kind of painkiller you want. We have Tylenol, naproxen sodium, Advil, Aleve, and an assortment of alien medications that I'm not gonna waste time trying to pronounce. Because, Rose 'Bad Wolf' Tyler, they're not important right now. _You_ are important. So, just tell me what you need. What do you need? Anything at all, just-"

"I need you to shut up!" she snapped, the pain growing steadily worse.

Jackie, who was currently standing on the other side of the TARDIS' med bay, began laughing heartily at that. "Oh, what goes 'round comes 'round, you daft alien!"

The Doctor smiled at his wife sheepishly and apologized. "I'm sorry, love. I've just never done this before; I don't know what to do. Just let me know, okay?" And with that he bent to press a soft kiss to her forehead and said no more.

"Thanks. Right now I just need for this to be _over._" Rose was in labor. And it _hurt._ Not as much as when she rewrote the DNA signature of every cell in her body, when she felt herself being ripped apart and thrown back together again. But still, lots of pain. Like, a _lot_ of pain.

But, it was okay all-in-all. Because she had all of the people she cared about with her. Her mother and the Doctor took their positions on either side of her, holding her hands and whispering encouragement. Martha was the one doing the actual delivery, and Mickey and Jack were acting as her nurses. Donna was acting as a third member of the support team, standing directly behind Rose and pressing a cool, damp cloth on her forehead. She was also acting as a director (ordering Jack and Mickey around), but that was alright with everyone (except Jack and Mickey). But it wasn't about them right now. This was about Rose and Quin.

Speaking of Quin- "Rose, this is it! Time to push," Martha ordered. It had already been several hours since this whole ordeal began, but this was it. The Time of Times. The first natural Time Lord birth in centuries.

Rose yelled in pain as another contraction came, but she pushed with all of her might. The Doctor mumbled encouraging words to her in his native language, and for the first time in her life she understood the words. They brought even more tears to her eyes, but these were the good kind. These were the kind of tears you get when someone tells you they love you for the first time, or when you hear the most beautiful music imaginable, or when someone makes you so entirely happy that you can't help but cry a bit. It took her mind off of the pain for a moment, but then it was back and stronger than ever.

"Push, Rose. You have to push!"

The Doctor continued to chant in her ear, promising her safety and happiness and love, and she got strength from that. Strength enough to give one… more… push….

"She's here! You did it, Rose." And then the room was filled with the glorious sound of a newborn crying. The Doctor now had tears of his own in his eyes; well, actually everyone in the room was getting misty-eyed. Martha held the new baby up and the Doctor cut the umbilical chord. Martha began running all of the necessary tests, and within 15 minutes she returned. "Congratulations, Rose. She's perfectly healthy."

With that, the newborn was deposited in her mother's arms, and Rose's tears began anew. The Doctor still stood beside them but he was frozen in shock. He stretched out a hand- a hand that was shaking like a leaf- and pressed it against his daughter's head. This seemed to snap him out of his trance, and his face was overtaken by the biggest and brightest grin in all of history. "Rose," he whispered in awe. "We made a thing! A cute little pink thing that cries! And she's _beautiful,_ Rose." He lowered his head to place a kiss on their child's forehead, and his lips were tickled by the soft new hair on her head. "Thank you, Rose. Thank you so much."

Rose tried to form an intelligent response to that, but she was only able to let out a sob and enthusiastically nod. The Doctor climbed up onto the cot and gathered them both into his arms, telling them that he loved them and that he would move planets and tear universes apart for them, all in the language that only they understood.

"Oi, Spaceman, give us a turn!" And with that the new Time Tot was passed around, first to Aunt Donna and Uncle Jack, then to Grandma Jackie, and finally to Aunt Martha and Uncle Mickey. Satisfied that they'd been able to hold and mollycoddle the baby, the humans all left the TARDIS to the new parents, though they all insisted that they visit very soon after, Jackie especially.

The TARDIS was quiet after that, relatively speaking. It was only the three Time Lords, and two of them weren't even speaking. Quin was sleeping and Rose was fading in and out of consciousness, but the Doctor was wide awake. And he was saying so much. He wasn't just emptily talking, not this time. No, now he was _saying_ things. He was telling his family his story. The stories of his adventures, his life, what he'd done and seen and lived. He told them everything, all 900+ years of his story. But he only talked about the parts worth hearing. He skipped over the parts about death and pain and loss, instead focusing on the good times. The glorious times where everybody lived, where people fell in love and grew old together and spent their lives doing great and wonderful things. He told his daughter about the time when a shop girl from London fixed a battle-worn Time Lord. And the time when they found each other all over again against all odds. And how they grew to love each other and grow together and made a family together. It took hours to tell these stories, but it was worth it to him.

Rose was so entirely exhausted, and the Doctor's speaking was so soothing that it was almost like a lullaby. But she was determined to keep awake, not knowing if or when the Doctor would open up like this again. She was able to stay awake for the most part, only dozing and nodding off occasionally during his stories. She even offered some questions and comments at some points. She knew everything about him, now more than ever.

After a few hours of them just talking- and mostly in Gallifreyan, too- the Doctor decided that it was time to get their little Time Tot in her new room. He gathered their little pink bundle into his arms, and clasped his wife's hand as they walked back towards their room. "Quin, my girl, welcome home. This is your room, here," he said with a flourish as he opened the door. "There's your cradle, and your changing table, and all sorts of soft toys. You have your own mini-library, and all sorts of nice music we can play, and we're right next door if you need us." The interior walls were painted to look like a Gallifreyan countryside, with lovely red grass and what looked like snow-capped mountains. The ceiling was painted like the night sky, with all of the most beautiful constellations and collections of planets in view. And right at the center was the Medusa Cascade, next to the Rose Galaxies.

The Doctor continued to give Quin her tour, and Rose stood off to the side, marveling at the impossible man before her. "Doctor, I think maybe the grand tour can wait til morning, don't you? Not to be whiney and _human,_ but I'm knackered, extra heart or no."

"Right! Just give us a tick and I'll be right there. Go on, change into your jim-jams."

She rolled her eyes at his enthusiasm and walked over, giving Quin a tender kiss on the head, and the Doctor a kiss of his own. "See you in a mo."

The Doctor nodded and waited until he thought she was gone before he went to tuck in their daughter. He didn't know that she was just waiting around the corner of the doorjamb. "Well, my love, Mummy says it's time for bed. And one thing you need to learn very quickly is that Mummy's word is law." He walked her over to her cradle, an old and battered cradle that had a small mobile attached. He looked at it fondly, remembering when his parents had told him of their building it. It was centuries old now, and he didn't rightly remember when he first used it. He was just a baby then, of course. "I do hope you enjoy the décor, but if not we'll change it to whatever you like. Sorry the cradle's a bit out of style, but when my parents made it for me it was the height of Time Tot fashion." He set her down gently, reverently even, and tucked her in without waking her. "You're so incredible, you know that? Your mum and I will do absolutely anything for you, and that's a promise. You have the only two adult Time Lords in existence at your beck and call, Quintavious. You have two all-powerful Time Lords that will do anything and everything to keep you safe and happy. And we always will, love. That's a promise." With that he gave her one last goodnight kiss on her brow, and walked into the hall, switching off the light behind him. He smiled to himself, unimaginably happy at absolutely anything.

Just as he turned, though, he nearly had a hearts attack when he was met with the sight of a teary-eyed Rose. Before he could ask what was wrong, she threw herself into his arms and buried her face into his chest. "You are going to be the most wonderful parent ever to our child, Doctor. Thank you so, _so_ much for that. I love you."

"I love you, too, Rose." She stopped crying soon after, and they walked hand-in-hand back to their room. Tomorrow was the first day of their new forever, and they were so excited to start it.

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AN: Alright, ladies and gents, down to business. I've had at least three people ask about a sequel. I would _love_ to do a sequel. This has been amazing and I think it would continue to be. But I have no idea what to do. So, here's my deal: give me prompts. Prompts for one-shots in this universe. While the Doctor and Rose are dating, more while Rose is pregnant, their adventures with Quin, you name it. If you guys can help me out with this, I will make a sequel of Timey Wimey one-shots about such things. You name it and it's yours (but no M-rated, I'm afraid. Just no). So, that is my deal. Provide the prompts and I will continue to write as much as I can. PM me or review the prompts, and if all works out in this way I'll post another chapter here which will be an Author's Note announcing the sequel.

If that's not what you guys want, or if you're totally uninterested in a sequel, this has been a wonderful ride and I love each and every one of you. Yours sincerely, Devoglio


	31. AUTHOR'S NOTE

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**Hello, friends! *enthusiastically waves*

So, I received quite a bit of prompts and ideas from you guys, and that made me incandescently happy, so thank youuuuuuuuu. As promised, I am now planning a sequel. It will be a series of unrelated one-shots in the same AU, so Rose will still be a Time Lady, Quin will be their kid, et cetera. The time line will go from when the Doctor and Rose were friends and/or dating to Quin as a grown-up. If anyone has any prompts they'd like me to fill, just let me know via review or PM.

Hopefully the first chapter of this sequel will be up later today, and I'll update as often as I can. I have no idea if it'll be daily or weekly or what yet. All I know is that it probably won't be daily once school starts again. But I won't just abandon it or anything, and that's a promise.

Thank you again to all of those that followed, favorited, read, and reviewed this story, and I hope you like the next one as well. The title of it will be "Time Lord, Lady, and Tot" (a rubbish title, I know. If anyone has a better one _please_ share your thoughts.)

See you guys over there. Have a _fantastic_ day. :-)


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